Ghost Days
by AzureShadowMoon
Summary: Because finding out you were once a raging psychopathic demon child that haunted people, killed said people, and then got reincarnated because you were a no good something really wasn't the Wednesday Leo was hoping for. Or Chara. She really doesn't care anymore. Reincarnation AU. [Female!Chara][Genderless!Frisk]
1. Wednesday

" _Hey, guess what?"_

" _What?"_

" _No, you have to guess!"_

" _Alright, you got a hair cut? You got someone's phone number? You finally got over your fear of spiders?"_

" _No! You're so embarrassing."_

" _Well, what is it?"_

" _Look! Buttercups!"_

 _There is a smile somewhere in the darkness, but it isn't genuine._

.

.

It was going to be one of those days.

Wednesdays were always pretty terrible, but getting out of bed was like scaling a mountain. Falling onto the floor was the only way to untangle myself from the covers. The cold floor was just enough of a motivation to get ready for school, however slowly it was done. Even if I hit three walls on my way to the kitchen.

Fox Box was already there, sitting primly on my counter. A steamy cup of hot chocolate was in front of her as she groomed herself like a cat, if a cat had two tails and was pink.

"Good morning." I slurred like a drunkard, stumbling my way to the fridge.

Fox Box snickered deviously, "Did you fall out of bed? I thought I heard an explosion somewhere. Was that your head?"

I offered a dry look, too tired to muster up a glare, "Stop raiding my chocolate, you fiend."

"You always get the best brands. Plus, dad was making something weird for breakfast." The monster yawned, revealing three rows of sharp teeth. "Your apartment complex is so quiet, it's no wonder you sleep all the time. It's peaceful compared to my family."

"You have twenty siblings." I rebuked, digging out chocolate milk and climbing up to the pantry. "Shit, I'm out of cereal."

"Did you get your allowance yet?"

I groaned and rested my head on the counter, "I don't want to talk to Fran, and she's weird. Like, motherly weird."

"Well, you are on your own." Fox Box took a long sip of her drink before hopping down. "Are you ready yet? We're going to be late at this rate."

I made another disgruntled preteen noise before making myself a to-go cup of chocolate milk and rushing out the door, Fox Box resting on my shoulder. I immediately started to regret being on the third floor, trotting down the steps with the motivation of a whale.

Upon opening the door to the building, a small garden out front rested between us and the sidewalk. Standing in the garden was a tall, purple bunny, with a straw hat sitting snuggly between her ears. She lifted her head at the sound of the door closing and smirked at the duo.

"Cutting close are we?" Fran asked, leaning on a fence.

I scowled, still too early in the morning to muster up a witty comeback. Fox Box saved me by snickering obnoxiously, "Leo made a face plant this morning. It was glorious."

"Well, it woke you up, didn't it? Oh, before I forget," The bunny reached into her trousers, pulling out a small envelope, "Your weekly pay. Go on and take it before you're late for school."

I shuffled awkwardly up to her and took it, mumbling out a thank you. Fran grinned, ruffling my hair like a freaking mom, "Don't spend it all on chocolate this time. Save some for the holidays, you know?"

I bid her farewell, practically rushing my way down the street. Fox Box was giggling, snuggling into the hood of my jacket, "She scares you."

"Anyone that acts that way freaks me out." I said honestly. "Being too nice makes me uncomfortable."

"Well, maybe they're just nice?" My monster friend licked my cheek. I reacted by flicking her in the snout.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." I scratched my head, feeling exhausted at the sight of my school in the distance. It was a red brick building with a lot of windows, like any cheesy cartoon school.

"What?" Fox Box huffed. "Did you have another dream last night? Did you remember anything?"

"I hate how perspective you are." I glowered at her grin. "Yeah, I did. It didn't give me much, and I don't feel very good about it."

"Hey, amnesia is a tough thing to work off." Fox Box's tails wrapped around my throat, and I rolled my eyes as she curled herself closer to me like a cat. "Hey, you're warm. Is that chocolate milk cold?"

"Duh."

"Ew, I can't believe you. Cold foods are disgusting."

"Is this because you were raised in Hotland and our human world is just not enough for you?" I smirked at her. "Or you just jealous I have chocolate and you don't?"

"Leo, you are the worst."

"Yup." I agreed with a content sip of my drink. "I'm the evilest in the world, and don't you forget it."

Fox Box cackled in delight.

.

.

The thing about my school is the royalty.

No, the queen of England isn't the principal or anything like that. But, monsters swarming my town thanks to Mt. Ebott being on a few miles away. The media swarms this place with awe struck eyes at the town. The king and his majestic garden, the queen who teaches our class, and the prince who is in said class, and the ambassador of monsters. Who is a human.

There is a story behind all this, I just know it.

So it really isn't any surprise to walk to school and play flee-the-obvious-cameraman. It's actually become a pretty good sport among the school. Whoever gets caught owes someone else lunch, or something else mundane.

I knew the back into the school like the palm of my hand. The media hardly goes there because of the queen, or Miss Torial, and her righteous will to burn anyone harassing her kids. It was truly a sight to behold when she got pissed.

"Hey, look." Fox Box chirped, pointing her snout down the hallway packed with students, "There's Snow Drake."

I managed my way through the morning crowd, stumbling up to the monster in question. Snow Drake was a bit taller than the rest of us, with his big wings and even bigger head, but he made due with his snarky personality.

"Oh, good morning." He wished, closing his locker. "I didn't think you'd be early."

I raised an eyebrow, "So you thought I'd be late?"

"I didn't think you'd show up at all, lazy."

Fox Box laughed and I cracked a grin, "C'mon, bird brain. Let's get to class before the good seats are taken."

We made it in good time, taking our usual seats by the window, with Snow Drake in front and Fox Box behind me. Though I knew the minute we had free time she'd be on my shoulder chatting away. Snow Drake turned in his seat to peer at me.

"Did Whimsun make it?" He asked.

I took a sip of my chocolate milk, disappointed that it was almost empty, "No. You know how they is when it's a busy day. They won't show up till lunch."

I heard a snort from behind me, conveying how much Fox Box thought of meek little Whimsun. I didn't particularly care about the finicky monster, but Snow Drake liked them. I at least tolerated their presence, even if they treated me like a disease.

"Oh, alright." He huffed. "The teachers coming, so it doesn't matter now."

I heard Fox Box hum the death march from Star Wars and elegantly coughed on my drink, holding back a grin that'd surely get me in trouble. The door opened and we stood to greet Miss Torial as she made her way to the front of the room. Miss Torial isn't really that bad of a monster. She's nice, motherly (eugh), and understanding. She also loves puns enough to give out free passes on homework, if you can make her laugh. All in all, much better than some of the other teachers around here.

She's a queen too. That's cool.

"Alright, class." The goat like monster nearly touched the ceiling with how tall she was. "Today we're finishing up Romeo and Juliet. Get out your books please and turn to page 67."

Class went as usual, with students getting called on to read. I was starting to nod off halfway through the reading, my eyes drifting to the window where Mt. Ebott stood. It was a nice blue day out, with no wind. It seemed like a nice day for a picnic just to sleep the day away. I sighed wistfully.

Well. I might as well pass this class and get it over with.

"I'll read the next passage." I raised my hand lazily.

The strange thing with Miss Torial, well, regarding me. It's hard to explain. She smiles the same with everyone else. She answers my questions like everyone else. But sometimes I get a strange feeling. Fox Box always said I'm bad at reading people, and says Miss Torial looks at me strangely sometimes. At first I thought it was because she wasn't used to unmotivated humans. Or maybe I was just a really weird kid. In any case, she didn't treat me different, but it felt like she did. It was strange.

I stood up, lifting my book with me and finding the passage they left off on. Oh, cool, it was the part where they kill each other. I smothered a yawn and-

"I want to do it instead, please!"

I blinked and looked around. Everyone else was staring weirdly at-Oh. Asriel. The prince, the son of Miss Torial. He was pretty tall, almost as tall as Snow Drake. His horns were growing in too, on top of his white little head. He didn't have much of a backbone though. I labeled him as crybaby when I first met him, he ran away in tears.

"Alright." Miss Torial nodded. I shrugged and sat down, deciding if fate wanted me to be lazy then by damn I'll allow it. Asriel nodded to himself and finished the passage, a slight tremble in his shoulders. We all collectively sighed when the lunch bell rang. Miss Torial gave us an amused look.

"Alright, class, I'll be back in twenty. The cafeteria is down the hall, but you may stay if you brought your own food."

She trotted out, half the class following along. I dramatically collapsed onto my desk, groaning about nothing. Fox Box laughing and jumped on my shoulder, looking every bit like she owned it, "What was the all about, huh? Asriel acted weird."

I didn't really want to think about it, because I had a hunch the royal family was a bit nuts, "Meh."

"Heh." I heard Snow Drake turn in his seat, "Let me guess, you forgot to pack a lunch and you forgot to ask Fran for money."

"Fran caught us on the way out." Fox Box answered for me, "We didn't pack lunch, though."

"We're stealing your food." I announced into my desk. "And then after school, can we have a picnic? That'd be awesome."

"Will you get your own food?" Snow Drake asked dryly.

I laughed with Fox Box. Snow Drake had apparently stopped by the bake sale this morning. We munched on our donuts contently. I absolutely loved spider batter, or whatever they made it with, it tasted fantastic.

"Hey." Fox Box spoke up, her tail tapping against my cheek. I gave her a look. "Look, over there."

We all turned and blinked. At the doorway was a police officer, talking with someone behind the door. It didn't seem serious, just a casual conversation. I shrugged and stuffed another donut in my mouth, glancing outside mournfully. Just a few more hours.

The intercom came on with a whiny screech, _"Students, please return to your classroom immediately. Lunch will be postponed until further notice. Please return to your classrooms immediately, your teachers will instruct you from there."_

Instant chatter broke out, curious murmurs spreading over the class. I tilted my head when the police officer disappeared outside, students starting to file in slowly, looking around in confusion.

"Any ideas?" Fox Box asked.

I shrugged, "Could just be a drill."

"At this time though?"

I didn't have an answer to that. Snow Drake ruffled his feathers in agitation, probably because Whimsun wasn't here yet. I wouldn't be surprised if they had skipped school altogether. Miss Torial arrived soon after with the rest of the class, giving the speakers in our room an annoyed look.

"It seems." She began icily. "That the headmaster has an announcement to make. Please be on your best behavior, children."

It turned out to be another announcement we already knew about. He came on the speakers and told us about the anti-peace act group lead by some Italian dude that's known for leaving his victims in less than flattering positions when the police officers find their bodies. It was gruesome, it was further in the city, and our headmaster liked to panic at the vey slightest sign of trouble.

Miss Torial sighed. I nodded in sympathy. He was such a loser.

" _Students,"_ The headmaster went on, _"Please start leaving in pairs in the forcible future. While there is, uh, no need to panic. I mean, I'm not panicking, but, it's all good! We'll all be safe!"_

It abruptly cut out. Miss Torial slumped a little at her desk before addressing us, "While these miserable people are dangerous, it will not be a problem to you, children. We are too far from the city to be harmed. You may continue as normal."

The class breathed relief. I kind of rolled my eyes at that, annoyed the group of human and monster anti-rights group was being the news. They were just crying for attention, killing everyone and blaming the monsters. It was gross.

"What a day." Fox Box snickered. "You'd think he'd get the point. That group is so far away and out of our hair, it'd be a miracle if we even got a news article about it."

"Yeah." I gazed out the window longingly. "A miracle."

.

.

" _Hey, what's those crystals anyway?"_

" _Oh, those? I dunno. They look pretty, though."_

" _Do you ever wonder what real stars look like?"_

" _. . . All the time."_

" _. . ."_

" _But, hey, you can tell me all about them! What are they like?"_

" _Crystals. They're like crystals."_

" _Huh. Sounds kind of lame? I like it! Let's go see them together, Chara!"_

" _. . . Alright."_

 _The smell of buttercups has never been so ominous._

* * *

 **A/N**

 **1\. First and foremost, I'd like to apologize if 'Chara' being female offends anyone. I've kept Frisk unidentified, and I tried to write this with 'Chara' as well, but as an amateur writer it just didn't work out. I know I'm going to get a comment about 'you shouldn't write it then' but that's just it. I really do want to write this.**

 **2\. This AU is called 'reincarnation' but I couldn't find any other word to describe Leo's situation, but more details will come up in later chapters. This is set after the True Pacifist ending.**

 **3\. WARNING: There will be swearing and blood later on. It is Chara we're talking about, after all.**

 **4\. Fox Box is in fact an OC, since I couldn't find a monster with the personality like Fox Box. Snow Drake came a close second, the sassy diva.**

 **5\. Enjoy!**


	2. Friend Zone

" _You see it, don't you?"_

" _See what? I don't see it!"_

" _Turn your head a bit. See? Right there."_

" _Oh. Oh! You found it! You actually found it!"_

" _Dummy. You were crying about it so much, I had to find it."_

" _But it's special. It wouldn't feel right not having it around my neck."_

" _Heh. You did look kind of weird."_

" _Chara!"_

 _A bright grin lights up, but is overshadowed by the red locket hanging underneath._

.

.

Alright.

There was a response to this, some sort of solution. I had to find it. All these papers looked like a foreign language, stuffed into a textbook three times my weight. In big block letters, the word math mocked me. It even had smiling children on the front, the type that look like they're being held at gun point.

It was illegal for this to exist. I was sure of it.

Snow Drake glared at me across my table, "If you keep making those noises, I'm going to leave."

I blinked, "Is it the whining, or the rumbling?"

"Both."

"Then there's no cure. I'm already too gone. Leave before it infects you too."

Fox Box cackled from the living room. I suspected she was a prodigy at math, since she was done before we even got to sit down. Now she was in my living room, watching my TV, in my apartment. What a freeloader.

Whimsun had been in my bathroom for about twenty minutes now, probably avoiding my lovely eyes and responsibly. And maybe Fox's grin. And maybe our headmaster's daily reports on terrorists.

I gave a world weary sigh. It just had to be raining.

"What's up?" Fran came out of the kitchen, deciding to make us dinner tonight. She usually left me to my own devices. But she also knew I'd blow my allowance on a pizza delivery. By the smell of it, she was making pot pies.

"Math." I told her, balancing a pencil on my nose. "Isn't there any drugs we can take to deal with this?"

She sent me a mildly disturbing glare. I sheepishly looked away, putting the pencil down and muttering, "I guess not."

"Leo is doodling again." Snow Drake sold me out like he talked about the weather. I glared at him, but couldn't keep the smile off my face.

"Really? You're not too bad at art." My landlord peaked over my shoulder, blinking at what I'd scribbled over my equations. "Huh. How do you know the name Chara?"

I blinked at that. "Uh. It was just in one of my dreams. Why? Did you know them?"

Fran laughs like I just said a good joke, "They've been dead for years, hun. You don't need to worry about them."

I furrowed my eyebrows. Why the hell would I need to worry? It was a bit of a letdown knowing one of my memories involved a dead person. I shook it off and went back to playing with my pencil. Fran didn't seem too talkative after that, changing the subject quickly to whatever had happened to her social life. Apparently it was riveting.

I was bummed out. Fox must have sensed this with her mind powers or something, because she was sitting on my textbook and saying, "Let's go for a walk!"

"Do you need a leash?" I asked sarcastically.

"You four can take a break. The pies won't be ready for another fifteen minutes." Fran waved us off, idly scooping up my doodles. "I'll pin these to the fridge for you."

I groaned. Fran was such a mom.

Snow Drake huffed and stood up, his head looking like he could smash the table alone if he wanted to. "I'll get Whimsun. Someone get an umbrella."

"Right."

We bundled up in our jackets, Snow Drake looking perfectly fine in just a scarf. A scarf that Whimsun was desperately trying to disappear into. I've known from experience not to make eye contact with them. They'd likely piss themselves and scream, which would make Snow Drake upset because Fox Box would be laughing, and the whole situation would be a headache.

Thus, I ignored them.

"Whoo." Fox peered out into the rain as we marched along the sidewalk. "It's not coming down to hard. It's supposed to get worse later, though."

"Cool." I said, feeling even more bummed about the freaking weather. "Like we need more water."

"It's gross." Snow Drake agreed. He loved winter but couldn't give any care for wet days with muggy weather. Must be a monster thing.

We ended up heading in the direction of the bakery nearby. It wasn't something Fran would approve of, so close to dinner, but I figured we at least needed a destination instead of wandering around. And hey, sweets. Can't say no to that.

"Hey." Fox Box piped up after a stretch of silence. "Leo, why don't you have any human friends?"

The question caught me off guard. "Uh, hey, I have plenty of human friends."

"Name one." She challenged.

I narrowed my eyes, "Uh, there's Mary. And Jean."

"They transferred." She dismissed, grin growing, "They don't count."

I gripped the umbrella tighter. A glance behind me at Snow Drake found him giving me a blank look. No help there.

"Uh." I wracked my brain. "Katie."

"She moved away."

"Corben."

"He's in another class."

I snorted, "Fine. May?"

Fox paused at that, remembering the blonde girl in our class that used to talk with us at the beginning of the year. Her dad passed away, or something. Now she doesn't talk to anyone.

"Still doesn't count." Fox chirped.

I simmered, getting annoyed. How in the world did I not have any human friends? Was it because I was basically raised by monsters, from Fran? I didn't get it. It made my head hurt.

"Fine." I snapped. "I have no human friends. Happy?"

"Actually." Fox Box hummed, her tails twitching. "I think Fran's getting stir crazy over it."

That threw me off. "Fran?"

"Yup. She was asking Snow Drake about your friend quota earlier. A staggering four, all in the same apartment. How sad."

"You're mean." I told her. "You have, like, a twenty sibling buffer. They have to be your friends."

"You can take them."

"Pass."

Snow Drake snorted behind us. I grinned when _Muffet's Delights_ came into view. It was starting to get misty with all this rain. Plus, Fox Box was getting me freaked out with all this friend talk.

Who needs human friends, anyway?

The bakery had a nice, homey smell to it when we walked in. A few spiders waved at us from a coat rack that we obliged with. Snow Drake shook off some excess water and Whimsun made a sound that resembled a car brake.

"Dearies!" A familiar voice cried from behind the counter. "What in the world are you doing in the rain, I wonder? Sit down and have a snack. If you're paying, that is."

She giggled creepily. We trudged up to the bar where a few other customers chatted and found our spots. Muffet was a tall monster, probably a few feet taller than Snow Drake, who already had trouble getting in the door. There were spiders dancing all around the bakery, seeming to have a great time entertaining guests. Two spiders scurried up to me with a menu.

I grinned. "Okay. I think I got it this time. That one is Jim, and the other is Henry."

"Close!" Muffet put a hand over her growing smile. "That one is Jeb, and that one is Regonald."

I deadpanned. So, not close at all. The spiders forgave me easily, excitedly gesturing to the new additions to the menu. I scanned it eagerly, eyes always trailing back to my favorite.

"Chocolate cookie deluxe." I told them sheepishly.

"Same!" Fox Box chirped. "Leo is paying."

I groaned at that. They always made me pay.

Snow Drake ordered for himself and Whimsun, though the little monster only got a water. I felt bad for Snow Drake, who had to keep not only Whimsun under his scarf, but a water bottle as well. He kind of deserved it for being an asshole, though.

The deluxe was delivered by a cheerful Muffet as I reluctantly handed over my cash. The deluxe was a big cookie, with frosting, ice cream, and hot fudge smothered underneath another giant cookie. Basically, ice cream sandwich king. Fox Box ordered hers just to lick the fudge. Anything else on it was deemed too cold for her.

"Fran is going to kill us." Fox said, eyeing hers like the last supper.

I nodded solemnly. It was worth it.

.

.

"Is that what I think it is?"

I paused.

While it wasn't raining as heavily as it was yesterday, it was still drizzling. I didn't need an umbrella for that, deciding a little damp hair never killed anyone. Fox Box was annoyed with my decision, burrowing into my jacket and poking her head out the front.

I looked where she was pointing her snout. It was a huddle of three humans, and clustered around two familiar faces.

 _It's Asriel._ I squinted. _And, uh, Frick. Who are they? Oh. Frisk._

I saw a fist fly and blinked, startled that it was an actual fight going on between the two groups.

"Ohhhh." Fox Box cackled. "Get Miss Torial! I want to see them piss their pants!"

It seemed like a likely idea, until I saw Frisk hit the ground. I stopped mid step, debating whether getting in trouble was worth it. When Frisk didn't get up and Asriel yelled something, I decided my Friday would be exceptionally different.

 _Hello Sunday detention,_ I thought darkly, cracking my knuckles.

"Oh." Fox Box got even more excited, perking her ears up. "Leo, are you gonna fight? You're gonna kick their asses?"

"This rain is a big downer." I told her. "I think I need to blow off some steam."

She cackled, looking absolutely delighted. "Make them cry!"

It took eight steps to reach them. Asriel was standing in front of a very much unconscious Frisk. I didn't get a good look at them, but Asriel certainly fit the bill of 'I'm getting the shit beat out of me'. I gave him props for not looking scared. Three to one on him would smother him.

"Stop fighting!" He was yelling as the bullies snickered. "I don't care what you think about us monsters, but don't take it out on Frisk!"

"Those anti-peace terrorists will show you what's good." A voice I recognized as Corben's had me smiling sarcastically. No human friends indeed.

He opened his mouth to say something more, before I strongly slapped my hand on his shoulder. He turned, slowly and in confusion.

"Wha-"

 _Creepy. Evil. Disgusting._ I made the best smile I could imagine. _Think nasty._

Corben paled. His buddies looked like they'd seen a ghost.

"Hmm?" I tilted my head ominously. "Did I hear something about terrorists? Why, Fox Box, I do believe that's forbidden on school grounds."

Fox Box's laughter sounded maniacal, "Oh, they do know what we do to terrorists right?"

I closed my eyes happily. The action seemed to startle them.

"Uh, Leo." Corben backed up, nearly knocking over a petrified Asriel. "We didn't mean-"

"And there's the ambassador of monsters, unconscious." I told them sagely, trying to smile the widest. "Why, that's almost an act of terrorism in itself."

He blanched. His buddies backed off, looking pleading.

"We didn't do anything!"

"We're sorry, we swear!"

"Y-yeah." Corben coughed, looking green. "We won't. We'll be good. Uh, we, we'll get the nurse!"

The other two hoped onto that idea quickly, "Yeah, let's go!"

"Right away!"

They scurried off, tails between their legs and sending terrified looks behind them. I didn't doubt they'd probably bring the whole school faculty with them. I sighed, dropping the smile and staring wearily at the school entrance.

 _Miss Torial will be mad,_ I thought moodily, _there goes a good Sunday._

"Ch- Uh, Leo." Asriel was practically shaking. I didn't realize he'd knelt next to Frisk, but he wasn't making eye contact with me. "Y-You didn't have to do that."

"I really didn't." I told him in annoyance.

He looked hurt. "I see."

Fox Box finally burst, letting out a storm of chuckles, "Did you see their faces! Man, they looked like little babies! Run, little babies, run!"

That caused me to laugh, somewhat brightened by the thought of pushing bullies off their pedestal. Who knew Corben was such a douche? While detention might be trivial, at least it'll be amusing to see Corben and his cronies duck for cover whenever I'm near.

"Frisk!" Asriel grinned as they came to. The human blinked drowsily, rubbing a dark bruise on their temple. Asriel winced sympathetically. "They landed a cheap shot, Frisk. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them."

"That's okay." Their voice was quiet, more of a whisper then anything. It was incredibly gentle for someone who freed an entire race in one night. They also didn't look incredibly mighty, sitting on the ground covered in mud and rain.

"Well." I said, noticing it was going to get awkward. I was about to announce my departure when Frisk whipped their head to me. They usually had a drawn expression, smiling or staring off into space. They looked startled.

"Uh, hi?" I ventured, not recalling if I ever met these two officially. "I'm Leo. Have you two been having trouble with Corben before?"

"Yes." Asirel admitted solemnly, helping Frisk to their feet. I noticed they were both wearing matching purple jackets. How cheesy is that. "We've never gotten into a fight though . . ."

"Idiots." Fox Box scoffed. "They think they own the world."

I scratched my hair, feeling uncomfortable with Frisk's staring and Asriel looking anywhere but me. If I hadn't just saved them, I'd assumed they were here to mug me.

I pulled an awkward grin, "Well! Not that this wasn't any fun, or anything. But, uh, bye? Yeah goodbye."

I turned around, marching away. Fox Box snickered at my lack of social life and I briefly heard Asriel sigh of relief behind. What a couple of weirdos.

" _Leo Soul."_ I winced at Fran's chosen last name for me. _"Please come to the office, Leo Soul."_

"Busted." Fox Box said.

"Shut up."

.

.

" _Chara, why'd you bring me here?"_

" _Aren't the flowers pretty?"_

" _Yeah, but mom doesn't want us to be here. Not after what happened to dad."_

" _Yeah. My bad."_

" _You can't say that while grinning!"_

" _. . . Actually, I have a plan. But I need your help with it."_

" _Huh? Alright. Hey, my camcorder!"_

 _The smile is still there, but it drops just as the flowers wilt._

* * *

 **A/N**

TheRealEvanSG: **Thank you so much for your curiosity! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have writing it.**

17nicholasc: **Ahhh it's only chapter one and I have a fan? You know how to make an author blush. And run for cover. Just joking! I will definitely be continuing this story, friend.**


	3. Buttercups

" _Chara."_

" _What? It'll be fine."_

" _Dad is-you aren't-but-"_

" _Chill out. I know what I'm doing."_

" _Just be careful, okay? We don't know what'll happen."_

" _. . . You know exactly what'll happen."_

" _I know. I know."_

" _Don't. Don't start regretting it now."_

" _I won't. I promise."_

 _The next day, a few buttercups are missing from the garden._

.

.

I was sick.

This was nothing new. Fran had told me a long time ago my immune system was weak. I got colds easily, the flu was a monthly visit, and I'm pretty sure I've thrown up more in the last six months since I woke up on Fran's porch then all of my school combined.

Said bunny monster was looking at me dryly as I made a fort out of used tissues.

"Leo, really." It wasn't even a question. It was more like 'get a hobby while you're sick'.

I reeled back, acting offended, "You don't like pillow forts?"

"Not when they're covered in mucus."

I giggled, my voice hoarse from upchucking my breakfast and coughing out my lungs. My TV had been temporarily moved to my room, some awful comedy playing. My phone had let me update my friends of my status. I was nearly over the moon, knowing I wouldn't have to go the Sunday detention.

Fran rolled her eyes in amusement, probably guessing my excitement, "I'll make some soup, kiddo. Think you can keep it down?"

"Nope." I told her honestly, dumping my tissue fort into the trash bin.

I was a little bummed out my friends couldn't visit. I know Fox Box would, likely later when she was safer from projectile vomiting. Snow Drake probably won't come within ten feet of me for another week. The thought left me grinning. Those losers.

I switched through the channels on the TV, getting annoyed with the boring Sunday programs. While the sun was out and shining, nothing ever good was on. It ended up on the news, where I grumpily cocooned myself in blankets.

"It seems Mettaton's making a huge comeback next weekend. And who would have thought? Premiering in a movie?"

The reporter lady sounded drunk to me.

"It seems crazy." A reporter man agreed. "But contrary to many doubts, this movie has reached four stars from critics."

"Even Rotten Egg?"

"Even Rotten Egg!" The reporter man went a little in depth of the movie, "A horror film. Some pro-peace protesters are worried this will have a negative effect on monsters in the entertainment business."

"Let's hope not."

I mulled over this as they switched to other topics. I had never actually gone to a Mettaton concert, despite this city being his frequent hang out spot. Snow Drake liked to go see him, but I just didn't see the appeal. I doubted the crowds would do me much good anyway.

"Soup's ready!"

I cringed and looked up at Fran pleadingly. She sighed, knowingly setting the soup on my nightstand, "Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere."

She sat down, patting my head like a freaking mom, "Would you like some water instead?"

My stomach turned warningly at that, and I shook my head. She frowned thoughtfully. While getting sick was frequent, it was always troublesome.

"How about some liquids." She gently ruffled my hair, "Jello? Yogurt?"

"Yogurt." I told her. "That sounds tasty."

She laughed, "Alright. One yogurt cup, coming right up."

I grinned, feeling shy, "Thanks, uh, Fran."

"Don't mention it, sweetheart."

I dozed off and on. I managed to hold down the yogurt and a few sips of soup, before deciding to sleep the rest of this off. Fran had agreed, leaving to do landlord things until she'd be back to fix dinner. I woke up sometime before that, Fox Box sitting on my nightstand and commandeering my TV to play one of her racing games.

"Hey." I protested under layers of blankets. "That's mine."

Fox Box perked up, tail wagging excitedly, "Oh, you're awake! Look at that new high score I got! Hah! I totally beat Whimsun."

Surprisingly, the meek monster was very good at video games. I yawned, grumbling at my empty stomach and headache.

"You know, ever since I met you, you've always been sick." Fox Box told me. "Not once have you been picture perfect health."

"If I was picture perfect, I doubt I'd be alone." I quipped back, "Amnesia would be nice to get rid of, and remember like, I don't know, family."

"Ah." She nodded. "But didn't you say-"

"Yeah." I watched her crash her car into a tree. "I don't know if I really want to meet them. They can't be all that good if they left me on Fran's porch, brain dead and everything."

"Maybe." Fox Box agreed. "Well, memories have been coming back right? You keep mentioning the name Chara."

"They're dead, according to Fran." This made me close my eyes. Conversations pass by in my dreams, and they all seem so familiar, but none of it made sense. "And something about buttercups?"

"Buttercups?" Fox Box cackled gleefully, "Did you make flower crowns for a living?"

"I hope not."

I watched her play in silence, beginning to doze off again. The only noise was the upbeat music from the game, a fan on my windowsill, and Fox Box giggling at the car explosions.

This all became background noise when the doorbell rang.

I slowly blinked. Fox Box paused her game, looking genuinely curious. Fran walked in all she wanted. Fox Box used my window, Snow Drake knocked before entering and Whimsun never came unless they were dragged by Drake. The only other person it could be was a salesperson, and Fran usually chased them off.

"I'll go check it out." Fox Box said, disappearing out my door.

I groaned, pushing myself to sit up. I rubbed my eyes, clearing the fuzzy vision and peering sleepily ahead. There was a moment of silence before a pair of footsteps down the hall approached.

"We have company!" Fox Box exclaimed, leaping onto my bed.

I stared at them. Asriel looked so uncomfortable he was shedding, like literally I could see a trail behind him. Frisk had on their default 'I'm a mature adult in a twelve year old body' face. It was pretty funny when they decided to wear a big fluffy sweater. Luckily, the two weren't matching clothes. Asriel was wearing a short sleeve shirt over a long sleeve, and Frisk had a black jacket with blue stripes.

"Hello." Asriel croaked.

Frisk nodded, holding up a small bag with a red bow that read 'get well soon'.

I blinked. "Uh?"

Fox Box titled her head, "Hey, how'd you two know where Leo lived?"

"We know Fran." Frisk's voice startled me, because it's so soft. Usually kids our age are loud and obnoxious. "She told us you were sick."

"S-So we got you something," Asriel fidgeted. "To say thank you, for helping us, earlier. This week."

Real lady killer that one.

I awkwardly rubbed my arm, offering a weak smile, "Uh? Thank you? I'm not usually allowed visitors while I'm sick."

Asriel seemed crushed by this. "Uh, right. I know."

I quickly tacked on, "Not that you guys aren't welcome! There's two chairs by my desk, take a seat."

They did, however Asriel fumbled weirdly with his. I raised an eyebrow at his antics, but turned to Frisk. They seemed like the more reasonable one.

They held out the bag. I hesitantly took it, "Damn, now I'm going to have to get you guys something when you're sick."

"Uh." Asriel didn't seem to know what to do about that other then turning red.

I opened the bag, carefully untying the ribbon. Inside sat a small, golden chain tied neatly around a heart shaped locket. It seemed so eerily familiar that I blinked.

"Huh." I tilted my head. "That's pretty neat."

"Do you like it?" Frisk asked, and it almost sounded like they were asking something else.

It wasn't too bad of a gift, for jewelry. The gold wasn't too outstanding, it actually looked a little faded. The red jewel was smudged in a way that had the wear of time. So it was an old piece of jewelry. I suppose that's cool. A little weird for a get well gift.

"Thanks." I gave them a genuine grin. "It's a little tacky, but I guess I can wear it."

Fox Box laughed at my honesty. Asriel looked sullen, but was actually making eye contact with me for once. He seemed lighter, like I had just passed a test or something. Frisk seemed equally as elated.

"You're welcome." They said.

"Uh, we were just popping by." Asriel admitted sheepishly. "But, is it alright if we hang out more often at school?"

That was an odd question. I hummed and said, "It wouldn't bother me."

He grinned, showing a row of sharp monster teeth. Frisk nodded and hoped up, looking twice as energized as they did when they walked in.

"We should go." Asriel waved at me. "Let's hang out again sometime, Leo."

"Alright."

Frisk waved to and they were gone, the only other sound being my front door closing. Fox Box turned to me with a weird expression.

"What just happened?" I asked her, a little dazed.

A shit eating grin stretched across her face, "You just got a human friend, Leo."

"Oh."

.

.

" _Chara?"_

" _Yeah, I'm awake."_

" _Humans aren't supposed to throw up like that, are they?"_

" _. . . Yeah."_

" _I knew it. This was a bad idea."_

" _You promised."_

" _I'm sorry. I'm worried."_

" _Don't be. You're going to be free."_

" _. . . But at what cost?"_

 _The lights dim and a pair of red eyes shut forever._

* * *

 **A/N**

Aranaagf: **Thank you!**

17nicholasc: **Your compliments are beautiful. My writing schedule may slow down, but I will continue this!**

EmZeeDee16no.1FanG: **Thanks for the luck!**


	4. Megalovania

" _heh, you really are a freak, aren't ya?"_

" _. . ."_

" _do the world a favor, and give up."_

" _. . ."_

" _really. that expression on your face, you must be pretty frustrated."_

" _. . ."_

" _c'mon, pal, it's over."_

" _. . ."_

 _The end of the battle draws with the shattering of a soul._

.

.

I lay awake for a good hour.

Every time I try to shut my eyes, the memory replays. Nothing but darkness, and a faraway voice that I can't even tell its gender. It's cold and menacing. But fear isn't what's keeping me up. My memories had always revolved around Chara and a second party. Some sort of plan that lead to her death.

But this new voice was addressing me specifically. It was chilling.

 _I hadn't ever considered,_ I thought unhappily, _that I might have been a bad person before I lost my memories._

It wasn't a comforting revelation. It drew all sorts of bad conclusions- maybe that's why I was abandoned- and none of it I wanted so late at night, especially with school in the morning. I hadn't ever had this problem with my dreams. They were kind of weird and scattered, enough that I didn't really ponder it. This new development was stirring up a minefield of questions.

"Whatever." I breathed, getting annoyed with myself.

Monday meant school, which meant it was Fox Box's turn to take her siblings to school. All twenty of them. She wouldn't be walking with me and wouldn't likely show up until lunch. She tells me it takes that long, but I was absolutely sure she found a tree to take a nap in or something. That cheater.

The walk to school was lazy. It was a hot morning, the sun already peaking up over the horizon. Even with winter around the corner, it was still too hot for long pants. My sneakers made awkward squishy noises on the sidewalk, still littered with puddles from the weekend rain.

I yawned. I'd probably last twelve minutes in class before passing out.

"Uh, hey, Leo!"

I slowed, turning my head. On the opposite side of the street was Asriel. I hadn't seen him there and almost debated leaving him hanging, with him waving awkwardly. But then Frisk peeked around him, and their face lit up. A small smile tugged at their lips as they waved at me. My stomach sunk.

"Human friends." I grumbled, kicking my feet. "Stupid Fox Box and her ninja mind powers."

I slouched my way across the street, stumbling a bit before coming to their side. Frisk seemed absolutely elated at my decision, skipping around Asriel to my other side. I imagined it almost like a cage, with Asriel to my left and Frisk to my right.

 _Fuck Monday's,_ I thought grouchily.

"So, uh." Asriel was scratching his ear and looking like he'd very much like to disintegrate. "H-How is your morning?"

I shrugged, digging my hands into my pockets, "It's a Monday."

"It's nice out." Frisk spoke up, gazing lovingly at the sky. I stared at them weirdly, wondering who on earth could give the sky that look. Asriel seemed used to his friend's antics and laughed.

"Yeah." He nodded. "It looks like a great day for a picnic, right?"

That had me more awake. I pondered that seriously, putting a hand up to my chin. Picnics usually involve the four of us going up to Mt. Ebott and eating food we'd put together. Drake would bring some version of snow berries, Whimsun always brought something mundane like spider donuts, and Fox Box just bought a shit ton of chocolate. I was the irregular and liked to stash a bunch of fruits with the rest. It was nice.

But was Monday really a good day for one?

I hummed. Frisk looked at me curiously, their amber eyes searching mine, "What do you think, Leo?"

"I don't know." I sent an annoyed look at the sky and its habit of raining. "The weather could change."

"It's supposed to be sunny." Asriel tacked on, seeming more confident. "Why don't we have one after school?"

I crossed my arms, "Maybe."

The answer wasn't a yes, but the goat monster brightened up. He had a happy grin on his face the entire walk to school. I noticed Frisk seemed assured of something, and decided to let the two do whatever. They were already weird. I was still doubting my decision to accept their friendship.

 _They haven't shown interest before,_ I tossed them a suspicious look, _maybe it's because I saved them?_

It was too much to think about so early. It was just giving me a headache. I laid it to rest, deciding it couldn't kill me to have two extra friends, no matter how they acted.

.

.

"A picnic?"

I nodded, "Yeah, with the Dreemurr's."

Snow Drake clucked dismissively, "We had one last week. I'm going to go broke."

"But you're still coming anyway right?" I grinned at him and his sullen look. "Look, we'll all be there, alright? Bring Whimsun, they like Frisk."

"Huh." Fox Box tilted her head back and forth like a demented bobble head. "Why a picnic? It's so weird."

I agreed with that fully, but merely shrugged, "I don't know, but hey, free food. Two extra hands will be kind of fun."

"Fatty." Snow Drake scowled and dug back into his Bisicle.

Lunch time was a bit slow, considering the headmaster's announcement about the anti-peace group was longer than ever. Miss Torial had nearly fallen asleep in her chair from it. My headache from this morning wasn't as bad, but I caught myself massaging my temples every so often. The voice didn't seem to want to leave me alone.

Fox Box caught on, sending me pointed looks. I waved her off, letting her know I'd tell her later. She seemed pacified by that.

"Hey." Snow Drake chewed thoughtfully on his Bisicle. "Did you two see where May went?"

It took me a moment to piece the name to the girl who used to hang out with us, but then basically disappeared to the back of the classroom. I felt a spark of annoyance towards her, knowing she didn't want any help during that hard time when her dad died. We had only hung out for barely a month, but it was still something.

"Yeah." Fox Box purred from around my neck. "What about her?"

"She's gone missing."

We paused at that. I cleared my throat, "You sure she isn't just skipping?"

He shook his head, "She hasn't showed up all week. Her parents keep calling Lady Torial, but even she doesn't know where May went."

I snorted at _Lady_ Torial. Fox Box rolled her eyes, "She ran away. She runs from everything!"

"Yeah." I took a bite out of my orange. "She's probably fine."

Snow Drake didn't seem convinced, "Whatever. I'm not going to the picnic."

That surprised me, since Snow Drake liked our picnics a lot more then he let on. Fox Box burst in cackles, "Is someone scared they'll get kidnapped, or spirited away, like May?"

"No." Snow Drake bristled. "I'm not gonna do that. But you two should be careful and cancel as well."

"What?" I squinted at him. "Are you worried about terrorists coming after us? On Mt. Ebott? Get real, Drake. They think that place is cursed, and wouldn't go within a mile of that mountain."

He seemed a bit placated at that, simmering down, "I still won't go. Count me and Whimsun out."

I scowled at him but let it be. He could pussy out if he wanted to. He'll be missing out on some damn fine food though.

.

.

Fox Box didn't know what to think of my memory.

"You don't know who they are?" She asked from her perch on my shoulder. We were on our way through town, a small basket in my hand. Asriel had given us a spot that was eerily close to our original picnic spot, before saying Frisk and him might be a little late. Which was great, since we got to stop by Muffet's Delights on the way there.

I shrugged, a migraine building up over a long day of flashbacks, "They just sound really angry."

"Huh." She munched on a cone of hot fudge. "Well, maybe Fran knows? Can you at least remember how they talk?"

"Sleepily." I scratched my head. "Lazy. Laid Back. But for some reason, it felt like a fight."

"You get into fights all the time." Fox Box reminded me.

That didn't ease me in the slightest, "Yeah, but I always win. How do I always win if I wasn't already good at it?"

She mulled that over, looking just about as confused as I felt. She huffed, "Well, what have they been saying?"

"Give up." I recited, yawning a bit, "More stuff about me being a freak, how the world could do without me, and something about having a bad time."

We stewed over this as we made our way towards Mt. Ebott. The area became less populated as buildings and shops became farms and cattle. Seeing the mountain and knowing the prince of monsters and the ambassador was waiting for us made my stomach turn.

"You never see anything but little things in your memories." Fox Box spoke. "Chara and the second party had matching lockets, lame. Chara died from buttercups, also lame. Now, this new party really wants to fight you. Why would your memories switch from Chara to this new person?"

She had a point, I realized. But my mind also crashed into a totally dark reason, "Fox Box, what If I killed Chara?"

She jumped, giving me an alarmed look, "Hey! You said they ate buttercups. You said they did it of their own consent. You're not even in these memories, Leo. Not a single person had mentioned your name."

"I know, I know." I was getting worked up, running my hand through my hair. "But think about it. This new person is pissed, we can't deny that. So, what happened to the second party that Chara was always with? There's a huge blank space. This new person could be mad about something I did."

"You didn't kill Chara." Fox Box sounded resolute, giving me a narrowed look. "I don't even think you did anything wrong, Leo. That person could just be a bad person."

"It doesn't make sense." I grumbled.

Her ears flattened and she sighed, dropping her head on top of mine. I realized I must have been sulking if she started comforting me like this.

"It's been six months." She told me. "Whoever it was, obviously whatever you did wasn't bad enough for a revenge trip. You know what I think?"

I closed my eyes, "What?"

"I think there was someone named Leo in the wrong place at the wrong time. She got caught up in bad things that weren't her fault. So, she gets hit in the head. Badly. She crawls all the way to Fran's apartment complex because she knows Fran's going to give her the best pot pies ever made."

I cracked a large grin, giving a helpless laugh. Fox Box looks satisfied with that, nodding sagely, "See? Leo is cool."

"Leo is cool." I repeated, and we walked up the mountain.

.

.

" _Why'd you do it? You know I'd have to reset."_

" _. . ."_

" _Chara, why'd you do it? Why did you hurt everyone?"_

" _. . ."_

" _. . . I'm sorry. But I don't think we can be friends anymore."_

" _. . ."_

" _It'd be best if you stayed here. We're going to the surface. You can come up when you're ready."_

" _. . ."_

" _Chara . . . I really hope you can be better."_

 _The door closes a final time, and the reset button vanishes._

* * *

 **A/N**

The Guest: **Your theories are making me grin. You're going to have a good time.**


	5. Reunited

" _Chara!"_

" _. . ."_

" _You scared me. What are you doing here?"_

" _You said so."_

" _What? I'm confused."_

" _You said when I was ready."_

" _Oh, I did. Chara, I want you to meet everyone. I want everyone to be happy."_

" _. . ."_

" _We're going to meet Flowey. Please don't scare him again. He's already nervous being up here on the surface."_

" _. . . I'll try, Frisk."_

 _A smile blooms and a shadow follows it, leaving nothing behind._

.

.

"Leo?"

I regretted taking a nap.

The sun was nice and bright, warm enough to lounge on the grass for a good nap. Fox Box had agreed with me, especially since we had eaten so much food. Frisk and Asriel had been quiet at first, but seemed to realize the way to our hearts was through our stomachs. Frisk had brought cute little cat cookies and Asriel seemed especially hyped up about the tea he had.

It was a bit of a mismatched picnic, with hardly anything healthy. The only weird part when I had gone to taste the tea, Asriel had turned blue. He looked like he had just remembered something horrible and quickly told me that the tea was cold, and would taste very bad. His tea had suspiciously disappeared after I had handed it back.

Frisk didn't seem to mind how lazy Fox Box and I were being, lounging next to the blanket with Fox curled on my torso. I didn't know I would have that memory though.

I didn't know Chara knew Frisk.

"Leo?" Frisk peered at me, their head blocking out the sun as they tried to make eye contact with me. They seemed worried. I would be too if I someone had just woken up like they'd seen a ghost.

"I'm fine." I closed my eyes tightly, the words replaying in my head like a tornado. Fox Box was still snoozing, their snores the only background noise. "Just a bad dream."

They made a noise and I felt them sit next to me. Asriel on the phone talking to his mom was lost with Fox Box's snoring. Apparently they hadn't told anyone they were going on a picnic, and thus they were both getting calls from probably the whole town. The idiots.

Frisk knew Chara.

I shivered. But Chara was dead? Or was this before? What about the second party, or the new person who wanted to fight me? The questions were becoming a whirlwind of what ifs and I threw my arm over my eyes dramatically.

"Will you be okay?" Frisk's soft voice from beside me brought me back to reality. I relaxed slightly. It couldn't be that bad. It really couldn't. I'm probably blowing this way out of proportion.

"Frisk?" It was weird saying their name. My voice sounded cracked and dry. The torrent of emotions I was feeling must have been on my sleeve, for I felt their hand pat my head.

"What is it?"

"Did you know someone named Chara?"

Silence.

In the distance, Asriel's voice abruptly stopped. He must have heard the question too. But it was way too quiet. I was tempted to lift my arm, until I heard Frisk shift next to me.

"Yes." They confirmed, their voice so quiet. "What about them?"

I gave an explosive exhale, "Nothing. Just some weird dreams about them, is all."

"Weird dreams?"

I stopped short, realizing that they probably didn't know I had amnesia. I allowed a lazy smile, "I have no past memories, so I just have little flashbacks of my life before I lost them six months ago. Chara is pretty popular in them."

"Ah."

I peeked open my eyes, lowering my arm to look at them. They were look at their shoes thoughtfully, eyes somber. I chewed my lip, realizing they must have been friends before Chara died.

"Sorry for your loss." I said, looking skyward.

They jumped, blinking widely at me, "Huh?"

"Chara died." I didn't feel good announcing it, so I rolled over onto my side, carefully not to upset Fox Box. "I'm sorry you lost a friend."

I hadn't considered other people might be affected by my past, or whoever Chara was. Other people must have been friends with them and was there when they died, even me.

I blinked.

Frisk seemed sullen when I rolled back to face them, but perked up when they noticed my exited expression.

"Hey, this is probably reaching here," I grinned awkwardly, "But did you know anyone who looked like me? I think I knew Chara closely, and I mean, if you know them too then we might have met before. Do you remember anyone like me?"

They slowly blinked. I noticed Asriel on the other side of the picnic area, talking into his phone but looking at us so dreadfully. He was frowning and he wore a hurt look. I refocused on Frisk, who closed their eyes peacefully.

"No." They said. "I don't think we've met before."

I tried not to let my face seem too crushed, "Ah, well, it was a reach. Thanks for answering honestly."

They flinched at that, but I was more focused on an approaching Asriel. He was pocketing his phone and giving Frisk a concerned look, "Hey, all this food is making me nauseous. Think we can wrap this up?"

Fox Box stirred with a creepy laugh, "The prince is a lightweight."

Asriel sputtered, glaring at Fox Box. I barked a laugh, sitting up and nearly sending Fox down the hill. Frisk brightened up a bit, standing up and offering a hand. I took it and said, "We should do this again. I liked your cookies."

They grinned, "I would like that."

"Cool." I stretched. "Do you think we should bring less food for poor little Asriel?"

"I'm not little!" The goat monster bristled from where he was rolling up the blanket. "I'm fluffy!"

That had me cackling, with Frisk giggling beside me. Fox Box prancing up onto my shoulder with a large grin, "Nah, I think Frisk's hair is fluffier then your fur, mister prince."

The look Asriel gave us was beyond offended, with jaw hanging open in surprise.

Frisk completed it by dramatically running a hand through their hair and saying, "The fluff cannot be matched."

I burst in laughter, almost falling over. Fox Box grinned gleefully, "Fluff contest!"

"It's so on!" Asriel shouted.

We walked back down the mountain, making jabs at Asriel and Frisk's puns nearly sending us rolling down the rest of the hill in fits of laughter. The sun was starting to set when we made it to town.

"I've got one." Asriel cracked his knuckled with a smug grin. It was a complete change from his yesterday self that couldn't make complete sentences. "What do you call cheese that doesn't belong to you?"

Frisk's answer was almost instantaneous, "Nacho cheese."

I smothered a grin. These jokes were golden. Fox Box had long exhausted herself from laughing, hanging over my shoulder and occasionally snickering.

"I've got one." Frisk announced. We both turned to them in amusement as they held up their hand, "Can a kangaroo jump higher than a house?"

I blinked, "Uh, no?"

They gave a grin that showed all their teeth, "Of course, a house doesn't jump at all."

Asriel wheezed, wiping his eye like a proud parent. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Frisk crossed their arms and nodded smugly.

"heh, good one kid."

We all paused and turned. Frisk did some sort of happy gasp and nearly tripped as they ran towards the newcomer. I squinted, because I had never seen a skeleton monster before. Especially not one so short. He kind of looked like a small, blue puffy ball with the way he was hunched. What really stood out was his ever present grin, so wide and happy I didn't think I could have met anyone so content.

"whelp." He allowed Frisk to tackle him in a hug. They were both about the same height. "someone's happy to see me."

"Sans!" Asriel practically chirped. "Why are you here?"

"some misbehaving kids decided to stay up late." He winked, which was really weird since he had no eyelids. Or eyebrows. "they missed out on so many good jokes. but it looks like they've been doing well without me."

"Not true!" Frisk clapped their hands with a happy grin. "I've told loads of good jokes."

"Wait," I drew attention to myself with an awkward hand raise, "You learned all those amazing jokes from him?"

Asriel seemed to realize something and sheepishly laughed, looking frantically between me and Sans. I was a little confused, but the skeleton made eye contact with me and grinned the widest.

"eyup." He gave me a thumbs up. "best trick master right here. want to shake my hand?"

"No, but I want to hear a joke." I grinned, fist pumping. Fox Box got a little excited, her tails wagging though still thoroughly buried in my jacket. "Tell me your best one."

He didn't seem offended by the declination, merely shrugging, his grin turning sly, "alright. i'm sans, sans the skeleton."

I leaned back on my heels with a cheesy grin, "I'm Leo."

"right." He nodded sagely. "when I see a lover's named carved on a tree, I don't think it's sweet."

I raised an eyebrow, tilting my head curiously, "Okay." This joke was going somewhere.

His grin practically became shit eating, like he'd just made the best secret joke as he said, "i just think it's surprising how many people bring a knife on a date."

I sputtered a laugh, almost tripping at the unexpected hilarity of it. Frisk looked stunned for a second, giving Sans a look, before smiling widely. Asriel was floored, staring at Sans with indignation.

"Bad joke." He said, crossing his like he was upset.

I snickered, "It was hilarious! Best trick master, for sure."

Sans shrugged, his permanent grin softer, "well, enough of that. let's get you scamps home. tori will throw a goat if not."

Asriel turned red where Frisk desperately tried to hide their giggles. I assumed they were talking about Miss Torial. I took a step back and grinned.

"Well, thanks for the time." I told them. "I've got to get Fox Box home, so I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Asriel perked up at that, turning to me with a bright smile, "Yeah! Let's hang out some more, Ch-Leo!"

"Have a safe walk." Frisk bade, waving as they energetically took the skeletons hand. Sans gave me a lazy wave with his free hand, before leading their group away. I watched them go for a moment, still smiling despite how much it hurt.

Sans.

"They were funny." Fox Box murmured, fully climbing into my jacket. "I'm crashing at your place, Leo. Text my dad."

"Sure." I said, letting my smile drop.

Sans the skeleton.

I turned and marched homebound, feeling my stomach dropping to my toes. It was almost too convenient. What were the chances of not only finding out about Frisk, but . . .

Sans sounded like the person from my dream.

"Oh." I stopped short and felt myself shrink under the realization. "Oh, no."

"Leo, you okay?"

I opened my mouth, but sharply closed it. I felt Fox Box stir and poke her head out beneath my chin. She poked me with her snout, "What's the hold up, huh?"

"Fox Box."

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm in trouble."

.

.

" _so this is them, huh."_

" _Be nice, Sans."_

" _. . ."_

" _not much of a talker now that we have these fancy ghost seeing glasses, eh? that's fine. i figured I might have to start anyway."_

" _. . ."_

" _look, kid. we've got something good going on. i don't mind if you want to join us. your bro isn't a flower anymore and, well, we're happy up here."_

" _. . ."_

" _you'll come around. it ain't fun being dead."_

" _. . . How?"_

" _hm? what's that?"_

" _How can you be so happy?"_

" _whelp, let's just say Frisk is very convincing. besides, what kind of guy would I be if I let a kid cry, huh?"_

" _I killed you."_

" _heh, and how many times did I kill you?"_

" _Sans."_

" _. . ."_

" _i'm just saying, I don't think I forgive you, nah. i like holding grudges. but I don't see a killer here."_

" _. . ."_

" _i think I just see a kid, with big watery eyes. i dunno about you, but that doesn't scream murderer to me. so, c'mon. let's get you that body."_

" _. . . Thank you."_

 _A skeleton winks at something not there, and Frisk smiles._

* * *

 **A/N**

 **1\. Note about Sans. Everyone has their own version of him, from angst to puns out the ass. But I want to believe he's a really cool dude, who's super chill with just about anything. He's supportive of Frisk's decisions, is up on the surface like a dream come true, and the red eyed kid is shaping up. Life couldn't be better.**

Devinely: **Thanks for the input! I'm still a novice at this.**

Frisk Dreemurr: **Who did you have to kill for a username like that? Thanks for the gold star! I shall put it on Leo's head with pride.**

Aranaagf: **Thank you!**


	6. Confession

" _I th-think I can g-get the calibrations, uh, set up. Properly this time."_

" _. . . Take your time."_

" _Um, uh, Ch-Chara?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _Wh-What is the, uh, first thing you wanna do with it?"_

" _. . ."_

" _Th-That's okay! It's a lot to take in! You don't have to decide now!"_

" _. . . Stargazing."_

" _Huh?"_

" _I want to go stargazing."_

 _A small yellow monster looks up in surprise at the night sky, and a ghost looks away._

.

.

I skipped school.

My head hurt, badly. I couldn't even get out of bed without a wave of vertigo hitting me in the face. Fran had taken my temperature and told me I was fine, which meant it was all in the head. Which hurt.

Chara was alive, somehow.

I groaned and tossed and turned in my bed, feeling like trash. The questions that had once been mild were now a torrent of unwelcome thoughts and mismatched ideas. Memories were now clearer, their voices more distinguished. It was clear the second party to Chara's memories was Asriel. Frisk was there, and the threatening person was Sans. And now there's a new person, and they were making a body for Chara.

"Mettaton?" I wondered, my thoughts immediately going to a robot body. I proceed to viciously slam my head on the wall, annoyed I'd even come to the conclusion. Chara was not that flamboyant. But the thought of someone making a flesh body, a fake flesh body, was starting to make me sick to my stomach.

 _Let's sort it out,_ I thought frantically, _let's put down what I already know._

Chara and Asriel had lived together, with parents, at some point in time. They were siblings, probably. Which meant maybe Miss Torial was involved?

I rolled out of bed, diving for my desk despite wanting to fall on the floor into the fetal position. A dusty pen and an unused notebook was laid before me. I flipped it open and began to write it down.

 _Think,_ I thought, _what else do I know._

Frisk knew Chara, and probably Asriel as well. Chara dies. Frisk stays with Asriel, for some reason. Did they even have a family? Not important, but Chara is a ghost now. Somehow?

"This is turning into some weird paranormal shit." I grumbled laying my head on my desk. "How do I know these aren't just dreams? Damn it, everyone seems to know Chara but me."

Next, I come into play. Past me gets into a fight with Sans. He's a cool, laid back guy, so what could past me have done to piss him off? And why was he so casual with me? It had to be because of Frisk. Frisk is too pacifist to let a fight happen.

I roughly drew an angry skeleton and a very dead me. For some reason, it seemed right.

"Is it possible?" I wondered aloud. "If Chara isn't here now, alive, then . . ?"

It was definitely possible that I might have killed Chara.

My pen clattered onto my notebook and I slumped in my chair, rubbing my eyes. Fox Box's words came back to me, but she was at school. She had left the moment I told her I felt bad enough to puke. There was no support today.

But it started to line up, however jagged it was.

Chara gets a new body, and gets to live with her brother and best friend again. I come along, and kill Chara. She's dead for the second time. Sans gets pissed, and I end up on Fran's porch brain dead. But then why would Frisk and Asriel want to be my friend so badly?

"They don't know." I opened my mouth in horror. "They don't know I killed Chara. Sans does, but hadn't said anything. But he saw me with them, he's going to tell them everything."

The realization was crushing. I sunk out of my chair, sitting on the ground and staring listlessly at the wall. The thoughts that had once been a tornado were now flat. The only thought was of Sans telling Frisk and Asriel that I had killed Chara.

 _I told them I have amnesia,_ I tried to reassure myself, _maybe they'll . . .?_

"They won't believe me." I curled up, feeling myself start to shake. "They won't believe a killer. Oh my god, what am I going to do? Snow Drake, ugh, he's going to tell everyone. Whimsun will scream. Fran will kick me out, holy balls I'm going to jail. And Fox Box-"

I choked up, biting my sleep and desperately holding back tears. I had no idea what Fox Box would do. She went with everything, the type to just go with the flow. Bad news was like water under the bridge to her. But finding out her best friend was a killer?

Oh my god.

I threw my hood up over my head, unable to stop the flood of tears and sobs. I tried to smother them, knowing Fran was just a floor below mine in her office. She could hear me cough, and she would definitely hear me crying.

I paused.

Why _didn't_ I want her to hear?

I sniffled, wiping my eyes. An idea had popped into my head and was growing bigger the more it stayed there. I didn't want to do it. It felt wrong, because I'd always been here. I went to school here, I played here, and I lived here.

I was going to run away.

.

.

I hated how sunny it was.

I had my hood up, jumping at every noise and sound. Leaving the apartment complex had been shaky and new. It was like walking out for the first time. When I had passed Fran's office, I hesitated, wanting to say goodbye or something. But I continued on.

I walked the streets, not knowing where to go with a backpack filled with clothes and some other living necessities. It was almost horrifying, feeling it there on my back. Knowing it was real.

My feet carried me to the school, and my heart dropped to my toes.

I couldn't leave without telling Fox Box what I was doing. The plan wasn't very well thought out, since I didn't know what she'd say to that. She'd probably demand why, then ask if she could come, or try dragging me to her house. The crowd would be suffocating.

I hunched in on myself, standing in the shadow of the hedge that went around the school. Class would be out soon, and so long as I didn't see Frisk or Asriel, I'd be able to get Fox Box somewhere quiet to talk. It'd work out.

But what if she already knows?

I closed my eyes and thought, _run._

I sent a vague text her way asking to meet out back behind the school to show her something cool. She asked me if I was feeling better, and I told her I felt good enough to prank some people. She had to see my idea though. Her reply was excited, which made my stomach flop uneasily.

The bell rang and I hid closer to the bushes. Students filed out, only a few catching me lurking around the corner. My jacket was recognizable and they looked away, bored. I felt myself curl away at that, praying Frisk or Asriel did not come close.

"Did you hear?" I heard a passing conversation. "May was found dead."

"Really?" The response was afraid. "Was it the anti-peace group?"

"Yup. She was missing her head when they found her. Apparently her dad is big in the pro-peace group."

"Holy cow, that's terrible."

"Yeah. Some people are scum."

The voices faded as they walked away. My feet gave up beneath me and I landed on my bottom, curling up and shaking. I was starting to regret coming here, desperately trying to find the energy to stand up.

"Leo?"

I froze.

That was not Fox Box.

With agonizing slowness, I peered up from beneath my hood. I had hoped I was losing it, that my mind was playing tricks on me. I was wrong. Frisk stood there with their familiar jacket with blue stripes. Their face was the usual softness, with sleepy eyes and a gentle smile.

Everything inside me died.

"Leo, are you-"

I was already gone, bolting away from my spot with a newfound adrenaline. Students squawked in alarm as I dove past, panic building inside me.

 _They saw me,_ I thought, tears pricking my vision, _fuck, fuck, fuck!_

"Leo!"

I heard footsteps behind me, and realized that they were chasing me. Horror swelled and I urged my legs faster, twisting around corners and charging through crowds. I tossed a look behind me, only to find Frisk tearing after me, their eyes narrowed. Desperation gripped me, and I fled down an alleyway.

I tripped.

The fall was pretty pathetic, since I landed face first. My hood fell away and I shot up, getting ready to sprint, when I was bodily tackled by a flying Frisk.

"Stop running!" They collapsed onto me. Unable to support their weight, I was pin cushioned to the ground, only able to flop around uselessly. Tears started up again, now out of frustration and defeat.

 _This is it,_ I close my eyes tightly, _my life is over._

"Leo, why are you crying?"

I blinked, turning my head to face Frisk. They weren't sitting on me anymore, but kneeling next to me, looking about as afraid as I felt.

"Did someone hurt you?" They helped me sit up, despite the fact I was frozen. "Are you okay?"

It hit me then as I stared at them.

Sans hadn't told them.

 _Why?_

My shoulders slumped from the unexpected relief, despite the nagging questions. My reaction only made Frisk more worried, gently patting my shoulder, "Leo? Do you need a hug?"

I had to tell them.

I didn't want to.

It was unfair, though. They had lost Chara, a dear friend. My past self was an asshole, apparently. But amnesia can't cure being a killer and they _deserve_ to know.

"Frisk." I sounded out of breath and very close to having a break down. "I have to tell you something."

They nodded slowly, "Okay, I'm listening."

"I killed Chara."

It came out in a rush of words. I felt my face heat up, humiliated that it had just been like _that._ Three little words.

 _Hello prison,_ I thought darkly.

But Frisk started to laugh.

"Is that-?" They wheezed, smiling widely at me, "You dork! Chara is alive, why would you think that?"

I stared at them in awe. That only made them laugh harder.

I sputtered, "But, it only made sense, because Chara isn't around-"

I was cut off by them wrapping their arms around me, tightly. Their shoulders were still shaking from their giggles, "Chara is alive and well. They aren't here right now, but they're alive. I know so."

I wilted at that, accepting the hug weakly. There was something astoundingly reassuring about hearing those words. I also felt embarrassment well up when Frisk continued to giggle, knowing I probably just looked really ridiculous.

"I'm an idiot." I groaned, digging my head into their shoulder to hide the shame.

"No, you're not." They chuckled. "But it's nice to know you care so much."

I smiled a bit at that.

The smile dropped when I saw something move down the alleyway. The dumpster hiding the shadow was jostled and Frisk jumped twisting around to face the newcomer. It was a small figure, and I curiously thought it was Sans. That would surely make the situation more embarrassing.

It wasn't Sans.

I saw the knife before Frisk. I threw them to the side, ignoring their cry as I threw up my backpack, a few pounds of clothes blocking the blow from striking. I held my ground pushing against the attacker, but feeling my pack ripping.

"Leo!" Frisk frantically shot up, looking at the cloaked attacker with dismay, "It's you!"

I raised an eyebrow at that. Frisk knew this person?

"Clever." The voice under the hood was male. He did not sound happy. "You saw me coming, red eyes. But I wonder if you'll see this?"

I scoffed in annoyance, "You're an anti-peace terrorist right? What a load of-"

My voice cut off and I sputtered, unable to process the blood on the ground. Frisk cried out, loudly. Those outside the alleyway must have seen something, for I started to hear screams behind me. The attacker jumped back so quickly before disappearing behind the dumpster again, gone with the shadows.

I coughed and stumbled, my backpack falling out of my hands to be replaced by Frisk. They were looking down and I followed their gaze, and-

There was a tire iron sticking out of my torso.

The sight of it made me numb. Frisk was saying something, probably about help, but it was all just a mess of confusion. My hand gripped the weapon carefully, the pain roaring up enough to have me keeling over. Frisk wouldn't let me fall, holding onto me tightly.

"Leo, you need to-"

"-you can-"

"-Chara isn't-"

I slowly blinked.

Frisk was crying. I squinted through the haze, because I hadn't ever seen them cry. Not even when Corben and his brutes knocked them down, they were still smiling. It was weird, seeing Frisk cry. I felt like it took a lot for that to happen.

"Why?" Their voice sounded far away, and it didn't' sound like they were talking to me.

I answered anyway, my voice thick, "I don't know. I just . . . moved."

I saw a brief golden flash, and then Frisk said, "Sorry Sans."

And then we were gone.

.

.

 _Do you wish to reset?_

 _. . ._

 _LOADING RESET . . ._

" _. . ."_

" _what happened, kid?"_

" _. . . Sans, I need your help. It's Chara."_

" _huh? i'm still not following."_

" _They died."_

" _. . . whelp, time to bring out the old guns. think your old man still has style?"_

" _They don't stand a chance."_

 _The reset button fades, and Frisk is back in their classroom._

* * *

 **A/N**

17nicholasc: **We aren't too far away friend! Things just go interesting.**

SMxABULM: **I'M DOING MY BEST FIGHT ME ABOUT IT**


	7. Reset

" _where?"_

" _By Grillby's. It's like a block away."_

" _huh, pretty vague, but I guess it was pretty frisky business you were focused on."_

" _Pfft, okay. But they thought they had killed themselves."_

" _you laughed?"_

" _I feel horrible about it now, but it was kind of ironic."_

" _no worries, kiddo. no one is dying on my watch."_

" _. . . Sorry. I didn't think this would happen. I didn't want to load."_

" _Frisk, you're all right. i'm not mad, I can't be mad with you. here, have a juice packet. it's got apples."_

" _Heh. Thank you, Sans."_

" _anytime. now wipe those tears, bucko. it's time to have a little chat with our alley friend."_

 _The world fades and a bell rings, and Frisk stands up with determination._

.

.

Déjà vu.

That was the only thing that kept me rooted in place. I tilted my head, staring at the hedge I was hiding behind in confusion. It felt like a different hedge suddenly, like it wasn't the hedge I had been hiding behind a second ago.

"I'm losing my mind." I murmured. "Keep it together, will you?"

The students wandered by. The conversation about May passed by and I frowned in annoyance. There was some heavy familiarity circling around here. It was starting to grate on my nerves.

I shrunk when I noticed Frisk walk by. They seemed almost robotic, not even looking in my general direction. My worry burst, knowing they definitely found out by now. They fit the bill of confused and distraught. I watched them go, idly wondering where Asriel was.

"Leo!"

I relaxed, turning to find Fox Box slinking around the hedge. She had a large grin, nearly shaking with excitement. I didn't have the heart to stop her from climbing up onto my shoulder.

"What's the plan, huh?" She cackled deviously. "Are we going to hit Corben? He totally deserves it. Did you know there's rumors going around that he sold out May to the anti-peace group?"

I paused at that, the new information throwing me off track. I shook my head, "Fox Box, I lied. I need to talk with you."

Her excitement dies into a concentrated suspicious look, "Huh? You've been crying, have you? Is that why your hood is up? What happened?"

I grimaced, the onslaught of questions expected, "Let's go somewhere more private, okay?"

She consented, sending me a pointed look that practically demanded answers. I marched away from the hedge and back into town, looking for a suitable place to talk. It didn't seem I'd find one, so I lowered my voice as we passed the crowds, "I found out who I was."

Fox Box perked up, "Oh, really? You got your memories back?"

I shook my head, "No, but I know what it means now. Fox Box, Chara is dead because of me."

The cat monster bristled, looking annoyed, "We've been over this you dingbat, there's no way you could have-"

"No!" I hissed, clenching my fists. "Fox Box, listen."

I tell her about what I had come to the conclusion of, how it all met up back to Chara and me. Her suspicious look became concerned, but still doubtful.

"That's not concrete." She said. "If Sans hates you, wouldn't he have outright told the two of them that you were a killer?"

I stopped at that, frowning, "I don't know. But Frisk was acting strange when they left the school. Asriel wasn't with them."

Fox Box closed her eyes. The action had me afraid, because this was the moment of her decision.

"Leo." She breathed out slowly. "You are the biggest idiot ever."

I deadpanned. "Gee, Fox, it's not like I was waiting for an actually serious response or anything. Dumbass."

She cackled, "Well? You're telling me this Leo, the Leo that gets good grades and is afraid of motherly affection, is a cold hearted killer? Don't make me laugh!"

I couldn't help the weak smile, sort of glad she didn't believe it, "You're already laughing, you tool."

She nodded happily, "Can always count on you to say something stupid. Did you really pack everything in that backpack? Did you leave a cliché note to Fran?"

I winced, "No, but I did pack all my chocolate."

Fox Box almost fell off my shoulder from the fit of giggles she had, "Where were you gonna go? Underground?"

"Shut up." I put my hood back, running a hand through my hair. ". . . Thanks, for believing in me."

"You were blubbering about it and everything." She scoffed. "Now let's get back to Fran. Hopefully she hasn't found you missing, that'll make a good conversation."

I snorted and made a funny voice, "Sorry Fran, I'm a wanted murderer and I need to follow my own path."

Fox Box guffawed, "I'll call when I'm away from my own wanted posters! If you're smart, you'd trace it for the reward money!"

I burst into happy laughter, glad Fox Box hadn't taken it seriously. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Suddenly, the future didn't look so bleak anymore.

I looked up at the sun.

"It's a good day." I said.

.

.

I hadn't expected to run into the two.

We had managed to get to the apartment complex and deposit all of our stuff without Fran noticing. Fox Box had suggested comfort food, therefore we were on our way to Muffet's Delights. We met Frisk and Sans along the way.

Sans was his casual, lazy self. He offered a wave and a yawn, which was probably the best out of him. Frisk was wearing their jacket tight around them. I thought they were cold at first, before noticing a trace of red on their shirt.

"Uh, Frisk? You're bleeding."

It was weird that they weren't making eye contact with me. My voice made them jump. I raised an eyebrow, a little concerned. Sans waved his hand dismissively.

"don't worry about." He nodded his head slowly. "Frisk is tough. it's not even their own blood."

I gawked. I heard Fox Box whoop from my shoulder, sounding as awed as I felt, "Frisk won a fight? Holy molly, today is the day!"

Frisk started, blinking at us, before developing a large grin. They shook their head, "Sans did the fighting. Though I wish it didn't have to come to that."

"Was it a terrorist?" Fox Box asked, eagerness radiating off her.

"who knows?" Sans made a show stretching, "could have been anyone."

I opened my mouth to ask about that, wondering what could have happened, when something hit me. I flailed, trying to catch Frisk, who'd suddenly launched themselves like a rocket at me. They didn't let go, so I awkwardly returned the hug.

"You okay, Frisk?" I looked at Fox Box on my shoulder for help, but she just shrugged, "Hey, if they attacked you, they deserve to get beaten up."

They nodded into my shoulder, but still didn't let go, "I'm glad you're okay."

I tilted my head helplessly, "I wasn't the one attacked, dummy."

They nodded again, but didn't seem placated. I sent Sans a look which he just grinned hugely at. His amusement grew at my discomfort.

Eventually, Frisk stepped back. They were sporting a stronger smile then before, "Thank you, for that. I needed it."

I scratched my hair awkwardly, "Uh, anytime."

"c'mon, kiddo." Sans ruffled Frisk's hair. "let's get you home and cleaned up. wanna hear a good joke about skeletons being calm? it's cause nothing gets under our skin."

I snorted. Frisk seemed brighter at the joke, laughing. They turned to me and waved, their expression soft. I returned it, "Well, I hope your day gets better, Frisk."

"It already has." They said.

I watched them go, the feeling of déjà vu coming back.

"You want to get some donuts already?" Fox Box asked. "I feel like everyone's emotions are out of control."

I seconded that, and headed for the bakery.

.

.

" _Chara, do you remember me?"_

" _No. Who is Chara?"_

" _. . ."_

" _Uh, um, Asriel. It might be better to, uh, give them some time?"_

" _. . . Chara, do you know who Frisk is?"_

" _No."_

" _. . . Do you know who I am?"_

" _. . . No."_

 _The curtain closes and a computer is turned off, the only noise left the quiet weeping of a mourner._


	8. Freak

" _You know, you really liked the zodiac animals."_

" _. . . I did?"_

" _Yeah! Do you remember anything?"_

" _No."_

" _Oh . . . Well, anyways, I like being a Taurus!"_

" _. . ."_

" _I always pegged you as a Scorpio, Chara."_

" _Who is Chara?"_

" _Uh, never mind. Maybe this subject won't work either . . ."_

" _. . . Leo."_

" _Huh?"_

" _. . . I like Leo."_

 _Frisk blinks in surprise, and a dark haired youth looks away._

.

.

My head was splitting apart.

Thoughts and conversations were zoning in and out so fast, it was getting harder and harder to tell who was who. The conclusion was simple, it was staring me in the face, but every time it started to set in I would lose it. Waking up that morning felt out of place, because it suddenly didn't feel like my bed, my home, or my own body anymore.

The thought was terrifying.

"Go out and get some fresh air." Fran had told me, taking my temperature and again finding nothing wrong. She was getting worried, but told me if I felt like passing out at all while out I had to come straight back. But I didn't want that. When I tried to think of school, school I had to go to, my head didn't compute that it was necessary. Like the mere thought of going to school was laughable.

I walked down the streets. It was a cloudy today, but not rain worthy weather. It certainly wasn't a picnic day, to my disappointment. Fox Box was likely at school with everyone else. I had to text them my current predicament. Somehow Frisk had gotten my number, and had practically sent me the address of every doctor available within a mile radius. I had dismissed them, telling them I was in perfect physical condition.

Which was scary.

I knew something was wrong with me. I'd walk calmly for a minute, before suddenly voices and images were going by like a racing car. It was blindsiding. And I knew something was terribly wrong.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I sighed to myself, running a hand through my hair. "Keep it together, okay? I don't need so much word garbage."

"yo."

I about screeched, pin wheeling to the side and delivering the best face plant to the nearest building. Fox Box would be proud. Apparently Sans was too, with the way he was snickering.

"Don't scare me like that." I breathed, straightening and rubbing my forehead. It was probably red now.

"nah, too funny." He shook his head, hands in his pockets. He looked out of place, leaning up against a bar and twirling a pair of keys in his hand. He must be waiting on someone.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning back and away from wandering people. My head throbbed momentarily but I ignored it in favor of peering at him. "Do you work here?"

He snorted, like I made a good joke, "nope. i got a ride coming in a few moments. was just here to say hello to a few good buds."

"That's cool."

"how about you, huh?" He grinned at me. "you look like you lost something."

 _Yeah,_ I thought darkly, _my god damn mind._

"Just walking." I looked away, his gaze kind of creepy since he didn't blink. "I've got a killer headache."

He chortled, even though I didn't make a joke. Or at least, I think I didn't. He shrugged his shoulders kindly, putting an end to conversation. It was silent between the two of us, the only noise the passing of conversations and cars zooming by.

"Hey." I started, feeling small suddenly. "Are you Frisk's guardian or something?"

"huh? what makes you think that?" He winked. "it's not like I have a bone to pick with those terrorists, or anything."

I smirked dryly. That was obvious.

"How was it?" I crossed my arms, wondering where these questions were coming from. "How did Frisk do it? Free all of you?"

"dunno, really." He made a show of yawning. "but a good thing they came along. was running out of ice puns."

That only made me more confused. I had the strangest feeling Frisk and company knew more about me then they let on. I still didn't have a good idea where Sans stood in all of this.

"In case you didn't know, I'm a bit air headed." I pointed at my head. "I don't have a lot of memories, but some come back. I think I remember you, but . . ."

He tilted his head, looking like a curious bird, "but what? i'd think I'd remember a pair of eyes like those."

Instinctively, I blinked. Having red eyes hadn't been a problem, despite a lot of people asking if I had a disease. It was completely natural. It was almost suspicious. I could have sworn, despite never seeing the color there, that they had been brown.

"Well, maybe it was a different skeleton." I mumbled, not believing it for a second. I also didn't feel like accusing people of being liars. "In any case, I hope that's the end of it."

"end of what? being lost out here?"

I almost laughed, "Hopefully, to these weird flashbacks. I like my head in the right place, thank you."

He actually stopped at that, turning his to look at me curiously. I cocked my head, wondering what could have been so interesting about what I said. His grin got larger, almost leaking happiness.

"you're right." He stretched. "where on earth am I gonna find another red eyed kid to take care of Frisk?"

I started. _Take care of Frisk_ he said. It was so casual, but it sparked something I couldn't even decipher. Like it just fit.

"Yeah." I shrunk into my jacket, staring down at my toes. "It'd take a total freak to do that, huh?"

He paused. I wondered if I said something I shouldn't have, but he turned and winked at me.

"if anyone calls you that, kiddo," He ruffled my hair and I bristled, because it was already messy and he didn't need to be Fran number two, "tell 'em you have a skeleton friend that'd like to have a chat with them."

He walked away, keys still jingling in his hand. I gawked at his back, wondering where the hell that had come from. But oddly enough, it felt like the best kind of advice I could have received. The memories were distant, merely a fly in the wind. Something had been taken off my shoulders, not guilt, but it was easier to lift them now.

 _Whoever I was,_ I thought to where Sans had disappeared, _I must have done something fantastic._

.

.

The memories were coming back, however slowly. Sans words were the only thing keeping them at bay. Which was fine with me, since I could sit on the swings at the local park and not get vertigo.

 _What was I,_ I wondered to myself, _and why do I think people hate me when they don't._

It was like a road that split. The road I was thinking of went off in a direction that no one seems to care about. The other road is smiles and sunshine everywhere. So why the hell is my mind so warped about the bad road?

"Maybe I was guilty of something." I wondered, not knowing where I was going with this. "Maybe I couldn't accept forgiveness."

And then it hit me.

Nothing led up to it of course. I wasn't even thinking of it. It was just a stray thought. It passed by on a whim, just as I was looking down at my feet. My necklace caught my eye.

The gold chain and the red hart locket. There was a small key hole for the inside of it, where I thought it might be empty for me to put pictures in. I hadn't a clear idea of what I wanted inside it, and had eventually just put it to rest. It probably couldn't be opened anyway.

"You always look so familiar." I mumbled, twirling it on my fingers playfully. "And I swear I've seen you before. Maybe at a local store? It could be where they got it."

My nail caught the clasp and I winced, pulling it out and hoping I didn't break it. Hang nails were the worst. But with a snap the clasp came out, like all it needed was some leverage. I tilted my head and opened it, expecting to find nothing in the locket.

"Oh."

It was Asriel.

That was what caught my eye first. He was wearing some tacky green sweater, eyes closed happily as he waved at whoever was holding the camera. In his hand was a paintbrush, coated in blue paint. My eyes slowly trailed over to the other side of the locket, where the other half of the picture was.

It was me.

It didn't look like me, not at all. But I could recognize that face and that smile in my own mirror. The brunette hair was weird, since I had short dark hair. The brown eyes threw me off, like a jigsaw puzzle had just been forcefully thrown together. They were smiling, with the same matching sweater as Asriel. They looked young.

Below the two, written in the smallest hand writing, was _Asriel and Chara painting class!_

My breath hitched. Memories started to spill over, like a dam breaking forward. Before I could panic, my eyes fell on the other half of the locket. The next picture told a different story. It was Asriel again, older and with horns. He was wearing more modern clothes and looking like he could die happy. He also had cake smeared on his snout. Frisk stood next to him, holding a messy hand of cake from where they surely pelted him. They had a large smile, and behind them I saw Miss Torial laughing herself to tears. The writing on the bottom was almost opposite of what I could imagine.

 _Happy Birthday Asriel._

I was crying.

Or was it raining? That didn't matter to me, not in the least. The locket fell from my fingers. They were shaking too much and the pictures almost seem to accuse me of something.

"What the hell?" I curled up, nearly falling off the swing in panic.

 _Something is wrong,_ I thought frantically, _something is so very wrong, oh no . . ._

Memories pulled themselves forward. Instead of nothing but darkness, I'd see young Asriel handing me a tea cup, with Chara's voice saying things from my mouth. I looked through the eyes of the dead and watched Asriel stop being a flower and Frisk have their first ambassador ceremony. The stargazing the hope and the hugs that never touched and a bed of buttercups and _genocide-_

I lurched forward, my breakfast threatening to come out. I lost my balance and met the ground. It had started raining, if the mud going everywhere was anything to note. But it was all gone, all of it, the stupid plan and stupid flowers. This stupid locket and that god damn knife, and well shit, now I know why that joke was so funny Sans, that's just great.

Just perfect.

I snorted, curling myself into a ball. My breath hitched and I thought I was crying, before recognizing the sounds as something else.

I was laughing.

.

.

 _Once upon a time, there was a fallen child._

 _And then there was a dead child._

 _And then there was a murderous child._

 _And then there was a . . ._

 _Heh._

 _Hehehehe._

 _A fake one._

* * *

 **A/N**

17nicholasc: **It's all getting cleared up eventually, no worries! Just assume every monster knows Leo is Chara.**

TheKursed: **Fuck dude that's worrying I hope it was worth it.**


	9. Fake

_There is a child sitting in a bed of golden flowers._

 _They are lost and confused. They meet a flower with an evil grin and they meet a lady who had lost too much. They find a pair of skeletons who goof around, one who has compassion and one with ambles of support. They find themselves friends with their killer, a fish monster who sets her house on fire. A scientist who encourages them to do their best. A king who lost it all._

 _A flower, who cries and says, "Goodbye, Chara."_

 _But they are not Chara._

 _They sit and watch the sunset. They turn their head to a child, merely a wisp of air, an apparition. The ghost isn't looking at them, but watching the outside world warily._

" _I'm glad you came back." The child says._

 _The ghost doesn't say anything._

 _._

 _._

 _The ghost is a freak._

 _The skeleton knows this, and now all monsters do. Months pass by and memories come back. Torial cries and cries and scoops Flowey into a hug that he can't help but return just a tearfully. A tall skeleton makes a show of cooking the biggest feast for everyone, and all is well between gratefulness and hugs._

 _The ghost is a freak._

 _The child loses them for a while. They grow worried. They find the ghost staring down a hole on the mountain._

" _Don't go." The child says._

" _They know." The ghost replies._

" _Don't go." The child repeats, again and again. "We can be happy."_

" _. . ."_

 _The ghost is a freak, but follows Frisk back down the mountain._

 _._

 _._

 _Everyone knows about the ghost._

" _Here." Alphy's gives everyone the glasses. When they first spot the ghost, having retreated to the ceiling warily, eyes widen and jaws drop._

 _Frisk waves at them pleadingly, "Come down."_

" _. . ."_

 _Torial asks how, Asgore looks just as pleading, and Asriel is staring up solemnly. The ghost doesn't move, no matter the questions or answers moved around. The king and queen stay well past night time hours, merely having a one sided conversation with them. They do not speak._

 _The skeleton finds them._

" _you look dead, heh?"_

" _. . ."_

" _c'mon, stop sulking. they want you to come down. that's the least you can do, right?"_

" _. . ."_

" _whelp. it's none of my business what you do. just don't waste your chance, alright kid?"_

 _._

 _._

 _The ghost has a family._

 _They don't always wear the glasses, and they can't hear them even if they put the glasses on. But Frisk is always there to be a translator, looking happier every time they talk._

" _Heh, Chara, I bet you can't paint as well as me anymore."_

" _. . ."_

" _Watch this! Being a flower didn't stop my amazing art skills at all. I'm still the best!"_

" _. . ."_

" _. . . Chara, are you okay?"_

 _The ghost is fading._

 _There is desperation and tiredness in everyone. Nothing is the answer and the ghost won't respond. Determination won't hold them down anymore._

" _F-Frisk? Are you sure you, uh, want to try this?"_

" _It wasn't my idea. Chara mentioned being able to take over bodies. Maybe we could make them one."_

" _Oh, I see . . . I don't think, I could, uh, do it."_

" _Can you try? I'll help. Please, they are going to die."_

" _. . . O-Okay."_

 _._

 _._

 _The body doesn't know._

" _Your name is Chara."_

" _. . . Who is Chara?"_

" _Your name."_

" _I don't know a Chara."_

" _Chara, that's your name!"_

" _Asriel, calm down. Alphy's said they might relapse if you give them too much information."_

" _. . . Frisk."_

" _I know."_

" _Frisk, why can't we do anything right? We just screw everything up."_

" _Chara is alive, Asriel. We can figure this out. They just need time."_

" _. . . I hope so."_

 _._

 _._

 _Leo wakes up._

 _._

 _._

"Hey, kid, are you alright?'

There is silence in the rain, the only sound the pitter patter of it slapping against concrete. The clouds are swirling ominously. A caterpillar finds its way across the park equipment, looking truly content in the downfall.

"Oy, I can't carry you, you know? C'mon, get up."

Clothes feel heavy. There is an icy coldness that seeps into my skin. My hair is like ink falling into my eyes, black hands grapping at me from the darkness. Everything feels too heavy.

"I know you're awake. C'mon, if you hear me, get up."

I can't think. Grasping at thoughts is a pain. It requires too much effort. The need to curl up and disappear is crushing. A gnarled hand pokes me in the shoulder.

"Ah, youth. Always so lazy. We need to get you out of the rain, kiddo."

The rain stops. I cast my gaze above were a ratty umbrella breaks the torrent. A grave face looms over me, and all I can think of is turtle.

"Look what you've done." He huffs, rotating his neck weirdly. "You've given yourself the jitters. C'mon, on your feet. We don't have a lifetime."

His laugh is scratchy and hoarse. My limbs don't want to move. I wouldn't have the motivation to force them to anyway. I didn't see the point in getting up.

The turtle grumbles and moves away, the rain falling again without the protection of the umbrella. I think that's the end of it and close my eyes. His voice doesn't leave, but is accompanied by someone new.

"Yeah, that's them, right there."

"What the hell? What dumbass kid stays out in this rain? Where's there parents!? Why I outa-!"

"Pftahahaha! A warrior spirit is good to have, but it ain't doing the kid no good. Pick 'em up, will ya? We'll take them to your place."

"My place? Old man, where the hell do you live anyway?"

"In me shell, you twat. I ain't stuffing no kid back there, nu uh."

"Hahaha, it'd be funny though!"

It was jarring, feeling a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist. My stomach lurched painfully and I groaned, the feeling of motion sickness hitting hard.

"Huh? They're awake?"

"Yeah, lazy little prickly that one."

"They look familiar. Oh well! They are just gonna have to deal with my pre-evening-date jog!"

"Since when did the captain of the royal guard date? Pftahaha!"

"Shut up, you hag! I'm going now. Don't get stuck in some ditch!"

"And don't throw the kid, ya here?! I don't need no investigation for your bad habits!"

"Hahaha!"

.

.

 _There are no memories tonight._

* * *

 **A/N**

Devinely : **Wahhh I'm so excited for you. I'm super glad you like it so far. To be honest, I went into this like 'what the fresh hell' but now it doesn't seem so bad anymore! Thank you!**

TheKursed : **DAZ SOME GUD ASH SHIT**


	10. Leo

" _You will take them, won't you?"_

" _. . . Ma'am, will no one else take them?"_

" _. . ."_

" _. . . I see. I, uh, ah geez. I'm a stickler for kids, you know? My sister had tons of them."_

" _I'm sorry, my friend."_

" _Don't sweat it, queen. They don't look so threatening wrapped in a Hello Kitty blanket, anyway."_

" _Hehe, they do look adorable."_

" _. . . Hey, will this be alright for you? You're technically giving your kid away, whether they know it or not."_

" _It wasn't my intention, but . . . Alphys has suggested they accommodate themselves before we give them the news."_

" _I see. Ah, alright. I'll take them. You're okay with this?"_

" _. . . I don't believe I'll ever be okay with this, I'm afraid. But it must be done."_

" _I'll take good care of them, ma'am."_

" _Thank you, Fran. You don't know how much that means to me."_

 _The queen turns and walks away, not before giving the sleeping child in Fran's arms one last longing look._

 _._

 _._

I woke up to the sound of gentle tapping on a keyboard.

The noise itself sounded so familiar and soothing that any troubles that would have come to mind never stood a chance. The bed I was tucked in was nice, the comforter was large and fluffy, and I felt like I could sink into these pillows forever. My clothes weren't heavy anymore, they were soft and carried the scent of fresh cleanliness. I didn't want to open my eyes. It felt like I'd be accepting the inevitable.

"Ah, um, are you awake?"

The voice startled me, not because it was sudden, but because I knew it. I blinked awake, staring straight ahead. The overhead lights blinded me for a moment, before I saw a small, yellow lizard monster perched on a stool.

They were slouching, curled into a little yellow bouncy ball with wide frightful eyes hidden behind thick rimmed glasses. A big teal jacket was around their shoulders, with little happy face pajamas as their bottoms. I had to blink again, because I _knew_ them.

"Oh, g-good." The lizard monster smiled happily. "You were, uh, one stage away from hypothermia. N-Not that Undyne took her time getting you here, or anything. It happens."

"Oh." I breathed. "Okay."

She paused, pushing her glasses up her snout, "Uh, why were you out in the, um, rain?"

". . ."

I exhaled, staring down at my hands. They were paler than usual, but my stomach twisted itself into knots. I didn't know those hands anymore. They weren't mine.

"Doctor Alphys." I said.

She started. "Oh! Um, it seems you already know my name. T-That's okay? I didn't think I was so p-popular."

"Doctor Alphys." I repeated, meeting her gaze. "Why did you make me a body?"

Her face went slack. She glanced around, desperately not looking at me, a slight tremble in her shoulders. She bit her lip.

"Th-They didn't tell me you knew . . ."

"I don't." I told her quietly, burying myself into the blankets more. "I don't know anything."

"Oh. Um, am I still talking to, uh, Leo? Or . . .?"

The question was cautious and I had the feeling she was afraid. The thought had me choking on a giggle, unable to help myself at the hilarity and stupidity of it all. It was downright sickening.

"Who knows?" I covered my head with the blanket. "Whoever it is, they're just a big fake freak."

"Uh . . . Chara?"

The name sent shivers down my back. The memories creeped up like a bad omen, grinning a smile that bled blood. I viciously shoved them away, becoming desperately afraid. The line between two people was being crushed and I couldn't find who was who in the madness.

 _I am Leo,_ I thought helplessly, _but I'm also Chara._

"No." I told her, my voice hitching. "I don't want to be her."

". . . Th-Then, will it be alright if I call you Leo?"

I closed my eyes and said, "I don't know who that is anymore."

"I see."

She was silent for a while, and I got the sense she was fidgeting. Her chair creaked and then I felt a weight on the bed. She was sitting there, awkwardly tapping her feet on the tiled floor. She cleared her throat.

"Do, uh, you want to talk about it? I'm not v-very good at comforting people, but," I got the impression she was smiling, "I can give some advice."

"Shoot." I grumbled. "All along I've been getting the best advice in the world from my killer. I think your advice might just be the grace of god."

She actually laughed, however weak it was, "O-Oh, that Sans. He's been giving you a hard time?"

"No one knows."

She went silent.

I peeked above the covers, noticing her slightly alarmed look, "Uh, that's okay. I won't tell, if you don't want me to."

My eyes widened. There she was, awkward and out of place, but offering me something that seems almost criminal. Like she wasn't harboring a manic. Like I hadn't killed her before.

She jumped, "Ah! I d-didn't mean to make you cry! Here, I'll put on my f-favorite show. You might like it, it calms me down a lot."

I hardly even realizing I was crying until I sniffled, feeling the hot tears down my cheeks. I rubbed them away with the motivation of a rock, feeling drained. Alphys had sprinted for her computer, coming back and nearly pile driving the bed. She made herself comfortable next to me and hastily played whatever was open on her browser.

I had never seen anime before, only briefly from some classmates. The animation had me furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"Is the cat ears really necessary?"

Alphys tapped my leg with her foot, an impatient reprimand for interrupting. Her head was bobbing excitedly, "Don't worry! It gets better. The pilot episode is always terrible."

I couldn't help the bark of laughter, propping myself up and deciding to tolerate what was being thrown at me. The first episode wasn't bad, but the general summary was a girl with the power to make anyone fall in love with her with a single kiss. Apparently it got much more in depth, according to Alphys.

"S-See." She giggled as we pulled up episode two. "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie is the best. Seeing her solve her problems, despite how ridiculous it becomes, is really inspiring! She's my idol."

I grinned lazily, watching the cat girl struggle to fend off her enchanted best friend, "I get it. It's funny. Thanks, Alphys. This, uh . . . this just means a lot."

She practically beamed, the sun rays in the background and everything, "Thank you! Oh my gosh, we can hang out all the time. I have all four seasons, and, and, and I know all the head cannons and theories and there's so much detail-"

"I get it." I snickered, burying my head in the pillow from her onslaught. "I get it."

Before she could respond, the door the room flew open with an excited yell. I peered up over Alphys, not surprised to find a familiar red haired fish lady. She was wearing a large, almost two times her size, white winter coat with camo cargo pants. She almost looked ready to take over Russia with the way she was dressed. In her arms and above her head was a pile of logs that seemed inhumanly possible to carry.

"Hahaha!" She roared. "Catch dweebs!"

"Undyne, no!"

The logs were airborne, but luckily landed safely on the other side of the bed. That still didn't stop me from shrieking like a girl. They looked like they could cut me in half.

"Nyaaah!" Undyne made a show of jumping on Alphys desk. "What's with this sleeping in bed business? You two are being lazy!"

"Uh, um, Leo just wanted to know what anime was." Alphys defended, sending Undyne a look. The fish got the message and sheepishly got off the desk. Two seconds later she was leaning over me ominously.

"You," She said, "Don't know what anime is?"

I mutely shook my head, beyond words at this point.

That seemed to be the final straw as I was forcefully moved to the other side of the bed, "Scooch the booty! We're having a marathon! Babycakes, get the popcorn. We're going all in!"

Alphys saluted with a sudden adrenaline, nearly skipping around the room in a frenzy, "I got it ready, I got it! Move over!"

I found myself squished against Undyne, Alphys on her other side as an anime much more intense then Kissy Cutie came on. I got enraptured in some bits, and annoyed at the parts Undyne got so excited she threw me off the bed. Alphys seemed used to it, merely rushing back to stare at the computer screen in awe.

I found myself gazing at the two, one accepting and the other who likely knew but didn't give a care. Both sitting in bed with me, like an average day. Like nothing bad ever happened.

 _I don't want to be Chara,_ I thought, making myself comfortable next to Undyne, _I feel like Leo is the only thing keeping me on the ground._

The thought of losing Leo was unthinkable and almost catastrophic. I didn't want to lose the half I liked better. But Chara couldn't be so bad, if Alphys still wanted to be friends? If Undyne wasn't worried about me being nestled right into her side?

They didn't care.

I felt myself grinning the largest in a while, content with things as they were.

"This is awesome." I said.

And then Undyne suplexed me into the floor.

.

.

" _Kid, it's chocolate. You like chocolate?"_

" _. . ."_

" _Heh. I'll take that as a yes. Let's see if they have any fudge."_

" _. . ."_

" _Hm? What's up? Do you need to go to the bathroom?"_

" _. . . Leo."_

" _Huh?"_

" _I think my name is Leo."_

 _Fran smiles widely down at a dark haired child, who shyly looks away._

* * *

 **A/N**

TheKursed : **Muahaha. I am the master of cliffhangers. They just fall all over the place.**

Cyrus67 : **Waaah sorry about the short chapters. This is going to be a real short story, so I made the chapters a five page minimum so it won't end too soon. I'll try to hurry up with updates so you don't drown in salt!**

DarkFoxKit : **I'm glad you found this interesting!**

Frisk Dreemurr : **You're back! And with an army of gold stars! Everyone now wears them with pride. Except Asriel, he has standards. Thank you!**


	11. Spear of Justice

" _Hey!"_

" _. . ."_

" _Down here, ya moron!"_

" _. . ."_

" _What are you, brain dead? Get your foot off my tail."_

" _Oh."_

" _Yeah. Oh. What are you doing out here anyway? This is the garbage dump."_

" _. . . I don't know."_

" _Huh. Hey, you have awesome eyes. What's your name?"_

" _. . . Leo. My name is Leo."_

" _Mine's Fox Box. Just a warning, I'm a real troublesome monster. So watch out!"_

 _A small cat creature laughs, and the dark haired child smiles._

 _._

 _._

Fran freaked out.

"You passed out?!" I imagined if I was actually talking to her and not giving her the news over Alphys phone, she'd probably be strangling me. "Leo, I told you to come home if you felt worse! Not when you're dead!"

The irony of that almost made me laugh. I didn't, because Fran would somehow manage to kill me via phone.

"I'm fine." I told her, twirling the phone line with my fingers. I was surprised Alphys had such a Stone Age phone and not a wireless one. Until she decided to go into a twenty minute explanation about how it was a vintage edition product of one of her not-so-top favorite animes but pretty neat anyway. Undyne had passed out long before the five minute mark.

Fran sighed over the phone, the distant sizzle told me she was making herself pancakes, "You're lucky I have Dr. Alphys number. I almost called the police when you were gone for an hour."

I winced, "Sorry. You know how I am, getting sick all the time."

"Well." She huffed, probably annoyed I was right. "Be safe next time, okay? Bring Fox Box with you."

I straightened at the name, "Have you told her yet?"

"Yeah. She's going to head over to the lab when school gets out."

Any other time, I would have questioned how Fox Box knew where Dr. Alphys lived. At this point, anything new didn't seem too unrealistic anymore. Anything was possible.

"Okay." I closed my eyes, wondering how in the world I was going to go back to normal. "Uh, Fran?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

". . . Uh, thank you. For taking care of me."

She laughed loudly, "And don't you forget it! Don't sound so down, okay? I'm here for you."

I felt my throat clog up and I hastily bid her goodbye, almost slamming the phone down. I took deep breathes, not realizing how badly I wanted to hear her say that. Knowing who I was beforehand and how she especially knew, made me want to run home and tackle her into a hug.

"Yo, punk!"

I quickly wiped my eyes, sending a look at Undyne. She wasn't dressed like a Russian anymore, instead had on casual flannel and cargo pants. Her boots were still mammoth size and made me feel like I could get stomped underneath. Her hair was actually really pretty, tied up into a high ponytail. It was a deep, coral crimson.

Her large yellow fangs had me hesitating on that thought.

"Let's go out." She announced, scooping me up like a football. "We'll get junk food!"

I flailed, caught off guard by the sudden plans, "But Alphys was going to-"

"Babycakes is showering, we have like, forever!" She laughed to herself, hauling me out the door quicker than I could tell her I needed a coat. It didn't seem I needed one, because it was sunny and nice instead of dark and gloomy.

"Where are we going?" I asked, keeping my feet firmly rooted on the ground. Being man handled wasn't on my top list of things to do.

Undyne threw her arms behind her head. The action gave me a view of her biceps, which a lot of grown men in my apartment complex pale in comparison to. She was tall too, standing out like a sore thumb in the morning crowd.

"Grillby's." She winked like she had an impressive secret. The name was familiar. "I have some drinking buddies there. Let's have a blast!"

"I'm underage." I told her, but didn't really stop her from dragging me down the road. While illegal, the thought of alcohol didn't bother me that much. At least not anymore.

Undyne stretched, grin getting wider, "Hey, Leo right? I don't think we've been introduced yet."

"We have." I said, scratching the back of my head. "Alphys told me your name when we were halfway through episode twenty two."

"Oh. Who cares! Haha, guess what?" She nudged me slyly. "I know a secret about you."

I actually blinked at that, wondering if Undyne was brave enough to reveal Chara to me. Despite me already knowing I was her, at this point she still thought I had amnesia.

"What?" I tilted my head.

She ruffled my hair, hard. It stuck up everywhere with morning bed head on top of it, but I was more focused on her loud giggling.

"You loooove chocolate." She crossed her arms smugly. "And guess what Grillby's has?"

I had to smother the growing grin, knowing Undyne was such a mom friend. I barely remember her being one of my favorites, "Chocolate?"

"Wrong!" She guffawed. "It has burgers! Let's get going!"

I sputtered a laugh, being led towards a place that I had only been once before. Or had I? I had the vaguest feeling of being here with Frisk in an alley, but anything beyond that is fuzzy. I shrugged it off as we walked in, a small bell signaling our arrival.

It was warm and cozy, with old style diner booths assorted around the bar. The bar itself had a neon sign with the places name on it. A jukebox in the corner was playing slow jazz. It looked run down almost, but every booth seemed to be taken.

"Grillby! Sans!" Undyne hooted loudly. "I come bringing fresh meat!"

I swiveled my head, taking in the familiar skeleton. He was hunched over the bar with a lazy grin, looking half asleep. A fire monster dressed like a waiter stood behind the counter, idly cleaning a class cup. Both inclined their heads in greeting, and a nearby duck said something about Grillby welcoming us.

"yo." Sans greeted, not bringing his head any higher than a slouch. "here for papyrus?"

"Nope!" Undyne placed me on a bar stool, spinning me around like a jerk. She took a spot next to me as I tried not to throw up from gravity. "I'm here to stuff my face and throw Leo out a window."

I balked at that, quickly waving my hand in the air, "I have a voice and it is the voice of reason! Throwing children is frowned upon!"

"But not illegal!" Undyne flexed beautifully.

I gave up on that, turning to Sans with a weak grin, "Good morning?"

The skeleton only mustered enough energy to flop his hand in the air. I considered that remarkable and rested my head on the counter. Sans followed my example. Apparently it was naptime.

"Ngaaah, you two are horrible! Order something already!"

That seemed to liven Sans up enough to raise his head. He mumbled something before saying, "yo, kid, want some fries?"

Fries for breakfast sounded disgusting, but I raised my head to give him a tired 'yes' anyway. Undyne was already tearing into a dozen or so burgers.

Sans turned his grin to me as Grillby moved away, "talk to Frisk recently? you seem to skip school a lot."

"I get sick a lot." I rebuked, resting my head on my crossed arms. "But, how are they doing anyway? I haven't gotten a text recently."

"they're in France." He winked at my startled expression. "left this morning. they got upset about you ditching and asked me to poke you."

He lamely finished that by poking me in the shoulder. I snorted, "What about Asriel?"

"He slept in."

I couldn't help the amused laugh, memories of the lazy goat child being a pain to get out of bed coming back. It felt nostalgic, and something horrible was settling in the bottom of my stomach. Eventually, I had to tell someone other than Alphys, right?

 _Can I just live as Leo forever?_ I thought. _Would it be so bad to pretend Chara never existed?_

I sighed. Sans noticed.

"long face there." He stretched, rising like an old man with arthritis. "got stuff on your mind?"

"Hey." I started, twiddling my fingers together. "What advice would you give to someone who needs to come out?"

Immediately after I said that I realized that sentence needed rephrasing. The damage had been done already. Sans, with a blank expression, fell backwards off his stool. Undyne made herself known by choking and nearly throwing up all her food. Grillby didn't even react, merely pushing up his glasses and going back to cleaning silverware.

I exhaled stressfully. Whoops.

"I'm not gay." I said the moment the two looked at me accusingly. I felt even Grillby was staring at me a little too hard. "I just have a, uh, bad secret? Let's go with that. And I want to tell my friends about it, because friends deserve to know right?"

Sans and Undyne blinked, looking at each other in bewilderment. Undyne swallowed loudly and said, "How bad of a secret? Did you kill someone?"

The question startled a laugh out of me, "No, it's not that bad. It's like one of those 'I got this scar from a bear' secrets, you know?"

" _bear-_ ly." Sans winked from where he lay on the floor. I considered helping him up, but he seemed more comfortable there then on the stool.

Undyne picked up my stool, causing a high pitched squeal from me for the sudden height change. My head almost touched the ceiling.

"You wimpy loser!" Undyne shouted, shaking my seat like a wrestler. "Confess your secret with all you might! You've got nothing to lose, nothing at all! Even if you were mauled by a bear, that's okay! You'll live a little!"

I clung to the stool desperately, "I'm going to die at this rate, you know!"

"not if your un _dying."_ Sans voice was barely heard over Undyne dragging him by his hood. She briefly yelled back to Grillby to put the meal on their tab before taking us, dragging skeleton and me clinging to a stool, out of the bar.

"We're going to have motivation lessons!" Undyne roared as we got back to the lab. I was surprised Sans was going along with this, before realizing he'd already fell asleep. I deadpanned as Undyne set me down and threw Sans on the couch. She grabbed a whistle and nearly blew my ears off with it.

"Now!" She placed her fists on her hips. "Tell me you're powerful and do it with _passion!"_

I slowly blinked. "I'm powerful."

I heard something pop, which must have been Undyne's patience. She went ballistic, running around like an angry chicken, "More anger! More emotion! You sound like a robot!"

"Robots are cool." I defended.

"They have too many standards!" Undyne growled and crossed her arms, looming over me like a bad omen. "Alright! Tell me how you plan to confess. Do it with raw emotion!"

I lowered my gaze, not really liking how she was pressuring me. It was just her way, but I had meant for my spiel to go over to Asriel, or maybe Frisk. One of them deserved to know, and starting there was as good as anywhere. I didn't know how Undyne would react, much less Sans. Even if he was snoring.

I straightened in my seat and cleared my throat. I wasn't ready for what I needed to say, so screwing with Undyne was the next best. It felt like poking a tiger.

"Frisk." I began dramatically. I went as far as to wet my eyes, going to that look Alphys described as 'tsundere'. "I am hopelessly and undeniably in love with you."

Undyne choked, pin wheeling and falling on her butt. Somewhere on the couch, I heard Sans snort. It didn't compare to Undyne's shocked expression. I burst into laughter, nearly falling off my stool.

"good one kid." Sans called.

Undyne shot to her feet with fury, "Ngaaah! That was good passion, but not a good secret! You need to do it right."

"But I don't want to tell you my secret." I told her blankly.

She gripped her head like she was about to explode, pointing at me accusingly, "There are not secrets between friends! If I can't talk it out of you, I'll have to fight it out of you!"

This time I did fall out of my stool as something flew past me. I yelped, flailing on the ground as glowing blue spears materialized around Undyne. Her grin looked particularly feral.

"Buck up, kid!" She punched the air. "We're going to duke it out with feeling!"

I felt a chill of fear, because for a moment she wasn't grinning but crying, and melting, and there was this terrible feeling of guilt-

"You won't get anywhere on the floor!"

"Wah!" I flung myself away from a spear, nearly colliding with one of Alphys life-size anime cardboard cutouts. "Hey, we were doing fine with talking! You're just mad you were losing!"

"Shut it, punk!"

Dodging spears got easy after the first three or so. It didn't seem Undyne was taking this seriously, just throwing because she could. I started to get the hang of it, and enjoyed it.

"You missed!" I called, jumping around another one. "You throw like a grandma!"

"Ngaaaah! Take this one!"

I avoided it to, cocky enough to throw finger guns at her and wink. She didn't seem too mad, with the way she was grinning widely. It almost seemed like she was smug, like she just accomplished something amazing.

"Fine then, take this!"

It was two spears now, but I got away with ducking under them. The adrenaline was making me laugh. "Really? Is that the best you can do? I'm doing laps around you, grandma!"

"Arrogant brat!" Undyne made a show of stomping around. "I'll show you what a true warrior can do!"

Three spears sailed overhead, but I slid under and laughed. It felt dangerous, but I couldn't help the elated feeling like I was having the time of my life. Alphys decided to make her appearance then, a door sliding open and revealing her with a bewildered expression.

"Uh? Undyne? Why are you-"

"Target captured!" I yelled, running around Alphys and wrapping my arms around her shoulders. She jumped, curling in on herself in surprise.

"L-Leo? What's going on?"

Undyne brought a fist to her chest dramatically, her hair waving because Sans turned a fan on. "So it has come to this. You have stooped as low as to kidnap my princess."

She pointed a spear at us, making my grin widen, "I'll fight you with everything I have now! Prepare yourself, human!"

I wasn't expecting the dozens of spears to form. Neither was Alphys, judging by her shocked squeak, "U-Uh, Undyne, you'll hit me too!"

Undyne's serene expression changed to vicious, "It's time for a surprise training session, babycakes!"

I laughed, on the edge of hysteria, but having too much fun, "Bring it on, grandma! We can take anything!"

Alphys only managed a small noise of fear, before we were running.

.

.

" _Leo, did you see?"_

" _Huh? What?"_

" _You oblivious dolt. The teacher. Miss Torial."_

" _What about her?"_

" _She was looking at you. She was surprised."_

" _. . . Maybe she knew me."_

" _Nah. But it's weird."_

" _What is?"_

" _She looked like she wanted to cry."_

 _Leo shrugs slowly, looking out the window. Fox Box shakes her head, but gives up on the issue._

* * *

 **A/N**

TheKursed: **Hooo boy friend, you'll be getting your angst. Think of this as the calm before the storm.**

DarkFoxKit: **Thank you! I'm glad someone appreciates the flashbacks.**

Frisk Dreemurr: **Haha, now look what you've done. You've given him anxiety. Thanks again for reviewing!**


	12. Chara

" _Hey, look, it's the prince!"_

" _. . . The prince?"_

" _Oh, that's right. You probably don't know this, but that wee lamb over there is Prince Asriel."_

" _Prince Asriel. . ."_

" _Huh? What's up?"_

" _The name is just familiar."_

" _I sure hope it'd be since- Oh, hey, he's going to walk by us. Say hi!"_

" _Hello."_

 _Any conversations in the hallway are cut off as said prince screamed himself away from the stunned red eyed child. Fox Box proceeded to laugh._

 _._

 _._

Fox Box had made her grand entrance by throwing three days' worth of homework at my face. Undyne had gotten a kick out of that, before panicking about the stolen stool we had. Apparently the fact that we had made out with public property caught up with her. She was gone in minutes, dragging Sans by the hood and yelling about picking up lunch.

"This becomes the fourteenth offense by the anti-peace terrorist organization." The news channel was saying, a severe looking man on screen. "A thirteen year old May Denson was found beheaded behind the local supermarket, a picture of her father stapled to her shirt."

I whistled lowly as May's mother came on to speak. She didn't look good, "I missed all this in just three days?"

"Yeah." Fox Box hummed from around my neck, happy to take back her throne. "Miss Torial almost broke down to tears. The police are trying everything and now we have security guards. Whimsun hasn't shown up since the announcement. I think Snow Drake is mad you jinxed us."

I rolled my eyes. He could be so dramatic.

Alphys cleared her throat awkwardly from her desk, having been eavesdropping on the situation, "Um, the attack was a ways from here, so you two don't need to worry. If you, uh, want to. Undyne and I can walk you home."

Fox Box grinned excitedly, "Cool! A royal escort!"

I rolled my pencil in my hand, sinking into the couch a little too heavily. Math homework was staggering and English was going to make me disappear at this rate. Being sick sucked on test days.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly, "What about Frisk and Asriel? Will they be okay?"

"O-Oh, yes!" Alphys waved at us nervously, "Frisk is in France with Asgore, and Asriel is, um, is fine on his own."

I blinked slowly at that. I had never thought 'Asriel' and 'fine' would ever been in the same sentence. It was a little disturbing.

"Are you sure?" I peered over at the scientist. "I could always walk with him to school."

She opened her mouth, stopped, before nodding slowly, "Th-That works? You'd have to ask him."

With an annoyed huff, I went back to doodling on my homework. Frisk wouldn't be back for three days and Asriel seemed to be avoiding school as much as me right now. I'd have to go home after lunch here, and then something needed to be done. I wasn't sure where to begin. Fox Box, Fran, or even Torial.

I grimaced at my former mother's reaction to my knowledge.

 _Oh god,_ I ran a hand through my hair stressfully, _She'll probably drag me back to her house and hug me to death. And if I tell Fran, she'll tell Torial. Fox Box?_

I glanced down at my friend, watching the news sleepily. She was deceiving at times, and I had a suspicion she knew I was Chara, but could she handle _me_ knowing I was Chara.

 _Why the hell did I have to lose my memories?_ I closed my eyes. _Sure, getting this body is great, creepy, and kind of gross, but why did I have to become Leo?_

I was starting to get a headache. Leo, or Chara, I was starting to not care anymore. I could worry about it later. Hopefully.

"Fox Box?" I asked, but only received a snore in reply. I wasn't bothered, since I was half hoping she'd conked out. I tilted my head to the scientist, who pushed up her glasses nervously.

"Uh." She poked her claws together. "Are we? Going to talk? Now?"

"Yeah." I reached forward, careful not to jostle Fox Box and turned off the TV. The silence seemed like a death march. Especially since neither of us wanted to start the conversation.

"I have to tell Frisk. And Asriel." I started, deciding to announce what I already planned, albeit weakly. Alphys didn't look surprised, if only a bit restless.

"It'd be better, to uh, tell everyone eventually." She suggested.

I sent her a look that told her how much I doubted their reactions. She winced and hastily tacked on, "We all knew one day your memories would come back. It's just, uh, they came back sooner than expected."

"It's been six months." I reminded. The date set in heavier than I thought and I swallowed. How old was I anyway? How long had I been dead?

"We expected a year." She admitted, shuffling some of the papers on her desk. "When we first, uh, moved your soul into your body, you uh. Your memories went away. We tried to get them back, but you kept having a breakdown."

She quieted, but I waved my hand to continue, enraptured with the story, "We, well uh, Torial and I. We decided you needed a break. We just didn't think you'd recover so well away from us."

The thought was depressing. I meshed my mouth into a thin line, feeling my stomach turn angrily at the events that took place long ago. Poor, terrible luck just seemed to dictate my life. But I thought of Asriel, the hope, and then the crushing defeat. No wonder he was such a little puppy around me, I was his freaking sister.

"I'm sorry." I blurt.

She blinks, eyes going wide, "Wh-What for?"

"I messed up." A chuckle escaped me. It sounded creepy to my ears. "You guys went through all the trouble to get me a new body and I blew it."

"That's not it." Her expression became downcast and she gazed at the dead TV screen hopelessly. "We gave _you_ hope. You, uh, were able to stay around because of Frisk. Something about them kept you around. But, it started going away? I still don't know. But you were fading."

I grimaced, the faint memory of a sobbing Asriel coming to mind. What kind of messed up shit was that anyway? How many times were we going to die in front of each other to finally get some peace? It was absurd. Cruel. It was stupid.

I laughed.

Alphys hopped off her chair and scurried to the door, checking around to see if Undyne was back. She mustn't have, since she came to my side like she had a secret.

"I, uh, made a promise a long time ago to tell the truth." She confessed. "So, since you told your part, I should, uh, help out. As my responsibility! Of course."

She took my hand in her claw and led me through her lab. We got to the less household parts of the building and to the more science and tech part. I grimaced as we passed a dusty medical bed. Alphys wasn't deterred and led me to a specific room.

"You were here while you recovered." She said, opening the door and revealing a replica of a hospital room. But it had the touch of life. Get well cards sat in a pile on an abandoned desk. They had a thin coating of dust. The bed next to it looked ancient, like it hadn't been touched in a long while. The walls were tacked with goofy posters with cheerful messages. There was a deflated balloon in the corner with 'we miss you' written on it.

I covered my mouth to stop from sobbing. Fox Box was still sleeping after all.

Alphys didn't move from the doorway as I made my way inside. Every step I took was cautious, like I'd upset something that wasn't supposed to be touched. This place seemed precious in a way. I made it to the cards, reaching a trembling hand for the first one.

 _Chara,_

 _Yo, dude! Would you believe it? You're getting all physical and junk! Cool! Undyne says she's going to train you forever, because the doc says you'll be super weak in your new body. Lame right? We should prank the Prince though. It was always fun having a spotter like you!_

 _Also, I got arms. Neato right?_

 _But dude. Seriously though? Paintball guns as soon as possible._

 _See you soon!_

 _-Kid_

A few more cards had names similar that I didn't recognize. Messages about fun times. Memories I still hadn't recollected, and empty promises. It was getting serious towards the more decorated and thought out cards. The ones I knew were personal.

 _YOUNG CHARA,_

 _IT SEEMS YOU ARE GOING TO JOIN US. LIVING. HERE. THAT IS VERY GREAT!_

 _DOCTOR ALPHYS TELLS ME YOU'LL BE HUNGRY WHEN YOU WAKE UP. NEVER FEAR DEAR HUMAN, FOR I THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL MAKE YOU THE FEAST OF LEGENDS!_

 _SPAGGETTI THAT IS._

 _FRISK IS HELPING TOO! THEY WISH YOU GOOD RECOVERY, FRIEND!_

 _-THE GREATEST FRIEND EVER, THE GREAT PAPYRUS_

I snorted at that, wiping my eyes at the idiocy of it. But it was heartfelt and has an odd orange stain on one side of it. The idiot had probably written it while cooking, the goof.

 _My child,_

 _It has been too long since we had a handshake, or even a good hug. I'm afraid I'm not very good at reading lips as everyone else is. I'll just have to wait patiently for you to wake up! There is so much to catch up on._

 _Did you know parsnip is not in fact a plant monster? Fascinating!_

 _It also isn't edible. Equally fascinating but not tasteful._

 _I hope you are having good dreams right now. When you wake, we plan on having the grandest celebration! I will cook barbeque!_

 _. . . Tori says I will not cook barbeque. I shall make sandwiches then._

 _. . . Papyrus will cook instead._

 _Ah, never mind that. Focus on a speedy recovery, young one! We all miss you so._

 _-The dad guy_

By now I was sobbing, vainly trying to wipe my tears. I was almost choking with how quiet I was trying to be. There was a purple letter that I knew was going to break me, just by the color itself. But I reached for it, because it was important enough to be there for when I woke up. And I was awake, wasn't I?

 _Chara,_

 _I forgive you._

 _Frisk_

". . ."

Alphys footsteps are like hammers as she approaches. She's slow, and cautious.

"Leo?" She tries. I can't speak.

She hesitates, then asks, "Chara?"

I fall to my knees, biting my sleeve to stop the wail building in my throat. The damage is done and Fox Box is blinking awake, yellow eyes zeroing in on my face. I look away, feeling my vision blur.

God damn it.

God _fucking_ damn it.

"They just had to be in France." I choked out, recognizing Alphys giving me a one sided hug. She had to hunch a bit to give it, but the thought was so warm that it brought on fresh tears. I couldn't even look at Fox Box. The explanation was going to rip me apart.

"It's okay." Alphys urged, trying her best to hand me tissues. She's come prepared, obviously. It still didn't stop the mess that was my face. "You'll be okay."

"What the doc said, you crybaby." Fox Box is curling around me, nuzzling into my face. Her invasion of my personal bubble made me flinch, especially the narrowed look on her face. "Why are you crying, anyway?"

I hiccup, and desperately look away. Alphys is in front of me, but she gives me a look that tells me how stuck I am in this situation. Fox Box huffs loudly in exasperation.

"I already know."

I wheeze, choking on air for a moment, before managing out, "You what?"

Fox Box is perched on my shoulder like a royal cat, tails swaying smugly. She grins a sharp toothed smile that looks much more sinister in the poor hospital lights. Alphys suddenly seems far away. Frisk's letter falls from my fingers. They're shaking too much.

"Hey, what's with that look?" She cackles delightfully despite my stomach dropping to my toes, "Didn't think I'd recognize my own killer, right? Fat chance of that."

"What." I breathed out unsteadily, feeling my world tilt. Something sat horribly in my chest and I had the vaguest feeling I was about to puke.

"I know." She repeated with that shit eating grin. "Great to be back, huh Chara?"

With a final breath, I tilted sideways, and hit the floor.

.

.

" _Whoo! Did you see those pansies? Run little punks, run! You sure got them in good Leo."_

" _Yeah. I didn't think I knew how to throw a punch that good."_

" _Heh. I bet you beat up a lot of people in your life."_

" _That's . . . not really something to be proud of. Unless I was a mobster."_

" _What? Mafia is cool?"_

" _I think so? Fran watches them a lot on TV."_

" _Huh. So, you don't like fighting?"_

" _. . . I don't know. I don't think I do."_

 _Fox Box hums, and Leo looks away, a headache nagging with the sound of maniacal laughter._

* * *

 **A/N**

 **1\. Well this is super late and not okay? Haha my fault. I've been piled high under the mountain called stress and dealing with problems that dig them self underneath. Also? Writers block is heavy. But! I'm getting back in the swing of things. Updates will be slower, but I'll still update!**

Ayano's Theory of Relativity : **I'm glad I'm not the only one who laughed!**

DarkFoxKit: **Wahhh I'm glad your so supportive. You're really nice, you know? We've got more people and more drama along the way friend!**

TheKursed : **I snorted. I like Charisk too, but that won't be in this story friend. Platonic kisses are the best after all!**

Frisk Dreemurr: **Leo accepts them all and proceeds to skip around Asriel yelling "STAR BLAZING". He is not amused.**

Plz update: **I ded it.**


	13. Fall

_Beep._

" _Hey, I'd like to leave a message for you. We've noticed you have a child under the legal age living under this complex Cornwood. We'd like to investigate this matter in the timeliest of manner, Miss Fran Huggs. You can reach my number here . . . and contact me as soon as possible. This situation needs to be resolved quickly."_

 _Beep._

" _This is the administration for child protective services. We've been informed of the situation. All is clear."_

 _Beep._

" _Be safe."_

 _Beep._

 _._

 _._

"Stop crowding!"

"D-Did anyone get water? W—We need water! Stat!"

"On it babycakes! I've got some right here."

"Raise their head, they might be dizzy."

"course you didn't help any, didn't ya?"

"Oh, can it you bag of bones. Since when did you care?"

"oh, I don't know. for a while."

"Bullshit!"

I groaned. The noises were impossible on my head. I heard a sharp hiss.

"Q-Quiet it! They're coming to."

"Ngaaah! I could strangle you right now!"

"Heh! I'd like to see you try, fish cake!"

"Why you little-!"

"yo, kid. nice shiner you got there."

I cracked my eyes open, the dim lighting disorientating me. I was still in that room. No, not just any room, _the_ room. With a bunch of lunatics and an asshole. I covered my eyes with my arm, feeling nauseous and horrible.

To my side, I noticed Sans sitting and leaning against the end table with all the cards. He looked completely at ease, even propping up his sandals on my stomach like I was a harmless dog. He had one eye open with a sleepy smile.

"look alive." He pointed a finger gun at me. "or you'll be dead on your feet."

I couldn't help the amused snort. What a jerk. Alphys pawed at my arm, tearing it away to shine a bright as hell light in my eyes. I squinted wearily.

"What?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"You fainted." She told me squeamishly. "Y-You might need to rest. Undyne, water-?"

The fish monster appeared, sporting a grin that reached her eyes, "Ready and waiting! Here you go brat. On the house!"

I stared dryly at the cat girl decorated paper cup, before reluctantly accepting it. Behind them perched on the bed with her back facing me, was Fox Box. I could practically smell the drama waiting to happen. With the motivation of a turtle, I laid my head back down.

"Do you feel better?" Alphys asked, peering down at me like Fran whenever I got sick.

The nostalgia had me loosening up a bit, "Yeah. Thank you."

"Hmmph." Undyne stood and crossed her arms, giving the cat monster a pointed look. Fox Box had immunity to bullshit though, and only tossed her head away from the look. Undyne cracked her knuckles, "Someone start explaining! No human up and faints like that. Not even Frisk does!"

I didn't want to talk, so closed my eyes and tilted my head away. I heard Alphys whimper, likely not happy with my response so far. I didn't want to talk at all.

"Whatever." Fox Box snorted loudly, sounding fed up with everything. "We all know who she is. And now she knows who she is. Big ol' elephant in the room has been addressed. Happy?"

It settled in darkly that Undyne and Sans knew I was Chara, but now they knew I knew. Of all the damn people, of all the damn _monsters._ Fox Box was the asshole in the room, definitely.

"No!" Undyne stomped her foot. I knew because it practically shook the entire lab. "That's not how you talk things out! Alphys, help me out here!"

"U-Uh, I'm not sure. . . Leo?"

"The person you're trying to reach is currently gone." I said out loud. "Please leave a message or not. Preferably not."

Sans snickered. He was way too relaxed about this whole situation. His feet were still on top of me too. What the hell was going on anyways?

"that's kinda mean." He tossed his hand behind his head. "though, I'd imagine you're a little _boxed in._ "

I chuckled without humor. Fox Box couldn't deny a good joke either and giggled from her spot. It was silent for a few seconds before Alphys cleared her throat.

"W-We need to talk this out. Undyne is right." She fidgeted, her claws clacking together to only noise. "Leo, uh no."

I blinked open my eyes and she smiled weakly at me, "Chara, right?"

"Yeah. Sure." I sighed, a colossal avalanche of disappointment and plans punching me right in the face. "I'm Chara the body snatcher. Better watch out or I'll puke on your shoe."

Sans, with the energy of a rock, moved his feet away.

Undyne laughed, chasing away some of the tension, "Well, look who it is! Still acting all mopey and depressed, eh? Get the hell up already! We still haven't finished our fight!"

I grumbled and rolled onto my side, "Loud people should respect the dead."

"You aren't dead yet punk! It's time for bonding, round two!"

Shit.

I was bodily picked up like a princess (Undyne seemed to have mastered this cradle, since it wasn't nearly as bad as being hurtled). Alphys squeaked about head trauma, but Undyne was already rushing out like a knight on crack. I barely noticed Fox Box desperately clinging to her shoulder.

Ironically, the stool from Grillby's was still there and where I was placed. Undyne stood before me in one of the poses I could recall as 'heroic'.

"Now!" She grabbed Fox Box by the scruff, the cat monster shrieking in dismay. "You two will talk about your problems!"

"No way." I deadpanned, feeling annoyed. "My problems are already drowning me. I'd rather go back to sleep."

At this rate, even the floor was looking appealing. I wasn't too picky. Undyne's smile was fixed on her face, but I could see her eyebrow twitching, "Is that all? Giving up already? Pah! I thought I knew you better."

"You might know me better then I know myself." I told her honestly. "But I'm still not fighting."

Fox Box stopped struggling to give me a disgusted pout. I raised an eyebrow that said 'what the hell is your problem'. Actually, I knew her problem, just like I knew everyone else's. That, once upon a time, I had killed them all.

"I'll bite you." Fox Box promised, which was kind of a mean threat, since her teeth hurt.

"Really." I drawled, leaning back on the stool dangerously. "I could step on you and win."

Fox Box scoffed, grin menacing, "Is that a challenge?"

Undyne seemed to have an idea where this was going, and frantically grabbed me by the hood of my jacket, lifting me up along with Fox Box. She shook us like a rag doll as Alphys and Sans wandered close.

"That's not what bonding is!" She scolded loudly. "Talking! With friends! Passionately!"

"I hope you fall into another hole." Fox Box told me, expression sour.

I smiled, feeling a tiny bit betrayed but more so pissed, "Are you asking for a fight? I already said I wasn't. You'd get creamed, you fat cat."

She cackled, the type that loved tossing insults back and forth. I crossed my arms, feeling like a toddler with the way Undyne was dangling me over the floor. Alphys was paler then ever as she stumbled over.

"Now, now!" She waved her claws frantically. "W-We said we were going to talk this out, so you two need to stop."

"Let me go." I whined, getting annoyed with the height.

Fox Box laughed, "What? Gonna go on another rampage and beat us all up?"

"If 'us all' includes you," I flashed her a big smile, "then yes, that sounds like a reasonable excuse to put me on the floor."

Sans turned away to hide his laugh. Undyne was not amused.

"Fox Box!" She snarled, "Chara! I swear if you two don't cool it-!"

But Fox Box was too good at getting people riled up, and sported her signature terrible grin as she said, "I bet they paid Fran to take care of you."

There was a small stunned silence, where Alphys jaw hit the floor. Sans peeked over his shoulder, but I couldn't read his expression, not with that permanent smile. Undyne made a squeaky noise, eyes twitching in rage. But I was beyond that point.

I laughed, breathlessly and unable to take it anymore, "Woah, wow, would you look at the time?"

Fox Box stopped grinning and blinked.

I cracked my knuckles, "It's time for an ass whooping."

Undyne was still shocked from the earlier comment and wasn't prepared for me to swing out of her grip. Fox Box managed the same, sweeping away from the taller monster and avoiding my punch.

"See? She's crazy!" She howled, running around the couch to avoid me.

"Get back here so I can make your skin into a rug!" I yelled, jumping on the cushions and almost colliding with another cardboard cutout.

The older monsters were watching us like a train wreck. Alphys dropped her head into her hands and Undyne had a spear in her hand, expression ready to wreck everyone in the area.

"whelp." I heard Sans say over Fox Box's screaming. "that was some good quality bonding."

"Shut it!" Undyne shouted, gripping her hair in frustration. "Frisk would be better at this then us! What are we going to do!?"

"just watch."

Fox Box rounded a corner out of the living room. I was hot on her trail, skidding down the hall to give me more drift room. The only thing leading me to her small little ass at this point was her yelling and cackling.

"And you call me crazy!" I snapped, feeling myself seethe, "Flirting with death, huh? Get back here!"

"Catch me if you can, you big maniac!"

"This asshole." I hissed, clenching my fists as I chased her through another batch of rooms.

She rounded another corner and I made a dive at her, barely catching her tails. She squawked but slipped away, sporting a large smile.

"Really? That the best you can do?"

"You're asking for it!" I snarled.

She rounded another corner, this one seeming familiar in the labyrinth of lab rooms. I recognized the one to the right and being _the_ room, and slide on the floor up to her speed. She seemed surprised, especially when I swept my legs out to cut her off, bodily throwing her into the room.

I closed the door. She got up, hoping on the bed and backing up to the cards next to the end table.

"Well?" She opened her mouth to show her rows of fangs. "Come at me then!"

I grumbled and made a big show of sitting in front of the door, legs crossed. Fox Box deflated, expression turning from gleeful to scorn.

"You're giving up after a big chase like that?" She snapped, hopping up and down in a rage. "Fight me already!"

"Will you shut up?" I rubbed my temple wearily, feeling my earlier headache come back fiercely. My own thoughts were a little frazzled, but at least I was a bit calmer then I was a few seconds ago. I didn't want to stomp Fox Box into the basement, that is.

Sans knew. Undyne knew, she had used my name for Christ sake. Alphys couldn't help.

"Fuck you." I lashed out, crossing my arms tightly around me. "Fuck you and your twenty siblings, Fox Box. Go rot in the biggest hole ever."

"What?" She snorted, looking away from me. "Was that supposed to hurt my feelings?"

"If you hated me so much," I stared at her back hard, "why the hell make friends with Leo if you can't stand Chara?"

"There you go again!" Fox Box turned to give me an irritated glare, "Leo! Chara! Why don't you say who you really want to be then we won't have a problem?!"

I slowly blinked at her, "You're a dumbass, you know? You don't think I haven't been trying to figure that out? Insensitive prick."

"Fight me." She challenged, pawing at the bed sheets like she was getting ready to charge.

"Go ahead." I told her, looking away. "It's not like we were friends, huh?"

She stopped but I carried on, "It was nice I guess, so I might as well say thank you. You're practically the only friend I ever made, but that's too good to be true, huh?"

I giggled. It sounded choked up. "Whatever. Now that everyone knows, it won't matter anymore, right? You said it yourself, the decision was made for me the minute you opened your big mouth."

I let my head fall into my hands, the words starting to crush me. Fox Box was being eerily silent. But I couldn't care about her in the least right now, knowing what was around the door behind me. Frisk, Asriel, Sans, Undyne, Alphys, mom and dad . . .

. . . What would Fran say? What would she do?

I couldn't stop the giggles from escaping me, but I noticed tiny sobs with them as well. It hurt my throat. I managed to peek up at Fox Box, who had moved closer. She was at the edge of the bed, eyes peering at me with silence.

"Congratulations, partner." I cried. "You killed Leo."

.

.

" _Hey, Chara, does your arm still hurt?"_

" _. . ."_

" _No, huh? That's good! Not many humans survive the fall down here."_

" _. . ."_

" _What's that? You still hurt? Ah! Why are you crying? Are you okay?"_

" _. . ."_

" _Your heart hurts? Did you lose someone? Uh. . ."_

" _. . ."_

" _Don't worry, Chara! I'll give you lots of hugs for you to feel better. See? I give the best hugs!"_

 _A small child laughs, but Asriel is frowning. He doesn't hear joy, but agony._

* * *

 **A/N**

 **1\. Gasp? A double update? Surprise! This is to make up for my lateness last chapter. Hopefully things will be more on schedule!**

Frisk Dreemurr: **THE STARS ARE THE LIMIT**

DarkFoxKit: **I'm currently laughing evilly. You're are such a nice person to me, but I'm going to break your heart soon? Muahahaha DRAMA AWAY**

TheKursed: **WOOO UPDATE THE SHITLIST IS CLEAN**


	14. Anticipation

" _My child, are you alright? You seem ill."_

" _I'll be fine, mom. I just . . . ate something bad, probably."_

" _Oh dear. I hope I didn't undercook something."_

" _It's not that. Promise."_

" _. . . My child, you can talk to me about whatever is troubling you."_

" _. . . Can I have a hug? No reason. I just . . . really want a hug."_

 _Torial embraces the child with red eyes, who starts to cry._

.

.

"Leo, c-can you open the door?"

"Chara? You in there, brat?"

"yo, kid, ya there?"

Of course they knew where I was, where our chased has ended. The room was suddenly much darker then I had taken it for granted. The lights were old, the bed was dusty, and the cards hadn't been meddled within months. Footprints from a few minutes ago littered the floor. The dust was thick. This story was as dusty and old as me.

"A child falls down a hole." I whisper despite knowing the little devil perched on the bed was still listening. "And dies."

"She's in there." I hear Alphys say.

"And dies and dies and dies." I wipe my eyes, feeling gross and on the edge of vomiting. The icky feeling of a stuffy nose and swollen throat were catching up to me. All this excitement had made my condition worse.

But who cared about that. In the end, I doubt even Fran would.

There's a knock on the door. It isn't soft like Alphys or obnoxious like Undyne's. It's casual, like a neighbor paying a visit.

"ya in there?" Sans asks, but he doesn't need to, because we both know I am.

"Yeah." I answer. "But it might not be the person you're looking for. Sorry."

"what are ya talkin' about?" He snorts and I hear him sit down on the other side, likely too lazy to wait on me. "i'm talking to you, aren't I?"

"Who knows?" I can't laugh very well. Whatever noise I make comes out garbled and choked. "I guess you're just talking to a dead person."

"well, we must be cousins then." I can _hear_ him winking. "cause, uh, dunno if you noticed, but I'm pretty _not skinny."_

"Did you just call yourself fat?" I gave the door an incredulous look.

"i'm hurt." He huffs. "i make a good joke to turn the angst into fun, and you go and call me fat. genuine hurt."

By now I'm giggling, unable to help myself. He was being ridiculous, but in a good way. I lean my head back, finally making eye contact with Fox Box. Her expression is blank.

"well, a little brat once told me something." Sans voices carried behind me. "that they killed me. pretty crazy, right?"

"Yup." I closed my eyes. "They must be a lunatic."

"nah, they were right." I can hear him chuckling. "right that we were both wrong. i find it funny, anyway, that everyone forgives them, but they just can't forgive themselves."

"Speak for yourself." I mutter.

"true." He pauses. "you are horrible. but your also fun, you can pass out faster than I've seen any human do, and you, uh, really like those puns."

I slowly blink, "That list is short."

"i'm not your bibliography." He snorts to himself. "i think i'm missing chocolate."

I grin, "That should have been on the top of your list, right next to falling down inconvenient holes."

I hear him snicker, "you and Frisk are something else when it comes to landing in trouble."

The thought of Frisk slowly brings me back to the real problem that they know and I know it's all a big problem. Fox Box hasn't said anything, which isn't helping. Undyne and Alphys had likely stepped away, and Sans was . . .

"Hey." I start. "Who do you like more? Leo, or Chara?"

Sans hums. "that's kinda morbid, splitting yourself up like that. think you could handle the answer?"

"No." I tell him honestly.

"neither."

I bite my lip and look down at my feet, feeling my heart sink down to my toes. That was the worst answer. I didn't think anything could be worse than one or the other, but he nailed it.

"that kid with amnesia." Sans whistles, startling me out of my thoughts. "they were really down in the dumps. The ghost kid with too much time on their hands wasn't much better."

He clears his throat, "what i'm getting at is, the kid on the other side of this door here? they aren't Leo, or Chara, or some other third name. nah, they're themselves, no matter what. you're kinda mopey now, but I guess that's just how it is. you're gonna be Leo, and you're gonna be Chara, and you're gonna be neither."

I wipe my eyes, feeling the sting of hot tears. I sniffle and sputter, "Papyrus is lucky to have a brother like you."

"well." I have the impression he's giving me a dry look. "you _do_ have a brother too."

Asriel. Right.

"Enough with the sap talk." I wobble to my feet, feeling twice as energized. "I'm going to go punch a wall to feel manly again."

"you do that." Sans sounds content to just fall asleep against the door. "you two better make up, or Undyne will box _both_ of you." He trails off into sleepy laughter.

I'm aware Fox Box had listened to that conversation. She didn't look affected, merely cocking her head with an impish smile.

"Fight?" She guessed, wagging her tails.

I paused, seriously considering just giving her what she wanted. For once, I decided to be the better person, and head for the door.

"Maybe in another life." I tossed back. "One where you don't ruin friendships and I don't have a mental breakdown."

"Just like that, huh?" She snips. "Walking away?"

"Yeah." I stop, my hand hovering over the doorknob. "Did you actually mean what you said? Every word?"

". . ." She looked away, expression souring. "I dunno. You figure it out."

"I've been trying that." I deadpanned. "You aren't exactly helping."

"Well." Her grin became obnoxiously large. "I had to get my revenge somehow. After all, I _did_ warn you when we first met what a troublesome monster I am."

"Troublesome." I echo in annoyance. "That's a gross understatement. You owe me forever."

"Nu uh." She shook her head, dancing around on the bed. "I don't owe you anything."

"You made me cry."

"Aw, poor baby."

I grinned, throwing up my fist threateningly, "You owe me five bakery visits, got it? All I can eat. No take backs."

Her grin shifted to mischievous, "On one condition."

"What?"

"You read all those letters." She pranced over to the end table where majority were still untouched. "All of them."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Why the hell is that important?"

"Oh, I dunno." She bobbed her head like a bird. "What the bone man said. Read that purple one like, fifty times. I think that'll help."

"You're so weird." I approach the stand, leafing through a few and finding some familiar names. "One moment you want to destroy me, the next you're trying to fix me."

"Destroy you?" Fox Box parrots, giving me a sly look, "I sound like a super hero like that. Who says I didn't want to fix you from the start?"

I got annoyed, "I'm not some run down truck, shut up."

"Make me."

"I'll shove this card right up your god damn throat."

"Leo, you are the worst." She cackles, swaying from side to side. "It's too dusty!"

I almost flinch when she jumps on my shoulder, but relax when she curls around my throat. The familiar purring from the monster has me staring dryly at the wall. Where the hell did my peaceful Wednesday go?

"I'm the evilest in the world." I mumble, holding the card from Frisk close. "And don't you forget it."

I can feel Fox Box's laughter against my throat. It sounded proud, "That's the Leo I remember. Now, let's go find your stupid ass brother and shove the news down _his_ throat."

"Yeah." I pocket the card. "Let's go."

.

.

Undyne was squinting at us suspiciously. Alphys was laughing, though it kind of sounded like she wanted to cry. Sans had long ago mastered sleeping while standing up, so he didn't really have an opinion of us as Fox Box and I told them we'd made up.

"I don't believe you." Undyne crossed her arms with finality. "You two are in hot mess!"

"As if!" Fox Box is laughing her little head off. "Go get your own human to mess with!"

I rubbed my temples, wondering if a twelve year old should have this much stress. Alphys waves at me nervously and says, "You'll be, uh, heading out now?"

"Yeah." I offer a sheepish grin. "I got to go home for the night. Fran is going nuts. But, uh, tomorrow I might visit?"

She perks up at that, smiling widely, "Yes! Of Course! We'll finish watching season one and everything!"

Her enthusiasm is infectious, "I'll bring snacks."

Undyne finally finished her stare down with Fox Box to leap bodily into the conversation (and almost taking me out with her ponytail). She scooped me up and rubbed her fist in my hair, making the nasty mess it already was an absolute rat's nest.

"Lay off!" I shout, struggling away from her iron grip. It does nothing.

"Stop carrying little storm clouds on your head!" She scolds, shaking me a bit, "It's depressing as hell! Walk home with PRIDE! With PASSION!"

"We're going to walk them home." Alphys puts in.

Undyne dramatic poses, "With ME!"

Fox Box laughs, "What's anime anyway?"

I'm already out the door far before Undyne's spear ever hits the floor.

.

.

" _Prepare for your greatest moments."_

" _Prepare for your finest hour."_

" _This world's unforgiving."_

" _Even brilliant lights will cease to burn."_

 _A whisper spreads among the shadows, and a red marker is drawn across the photograph of a yellow monster._

 _The movement begins._

* * *

 **A/N**

 **1\. I spy with my little eye . . . Casey Lee Williams? And Alphys is in danger? DRAMA AWAY!**

TheKursed: **hahaha NEITHER! That seems to be the point of this chapter anyway.**

Devinely: **Best friends fight ACTIVATE...? Never mind. It seems we'll have to wait for another fight ;)**

Kinroth: **You actually said that. To me. Me. _Me._ Do...Do you have standards?**

Frisk Dreemurr : **Frisk will be back soon! We got to talk to a certain grumpy plant first...huehuehue**


	15. Flower Days

" _In other words, the anti-peace terrorist group have set out a number of bounties on not only a select number of monsters heads, but humans as well."_

" _Do they have any relation to the monster support system?"_

" _None. It seems it's gone from terrorist attacks for a cause to indiscriminating action. Though their voice hasn't changed, they've become a bigger threat for the deputies tracking their movement."_

" _Will their leader ever be caught?"_

" _That's the thing, their leader never shows his face though he has a distinct Italian accent. He has two others personally close to him. And one is a monster."_

" _Seriously?"_

" _It seems this whole situation is out of control. Now, back to the weather. . ."_

 _._

 _._

It was the weekend.

Ironically, as I'm all pepped and ready to go back to school, it's break. Fox Box had laughed herself stupid at my enthusiasm, calling me out on it. I had never looked forward to school. But I was looking forward to Asriel, to Torial, and hopefully come tomorrow, Frisk.

"You're an ass." I tell the cat monster.

I hear Fran sharply whistle from the kitchen, likely not happy with the 'light argument' still going between me and Fox Box. It was complicated? It didn't help the racing game we were playing was hard, and she was good at it.

"Suck it up!" She leans forward energetically. "High score, here I come!"

"In your dreams." I pick up the pace, "Whimsun, back me up here!"

The little monster hiding behind Snow Drake squeaks before promptly fainting. Snow Drake made a harsh noise, whapping me in the back of the head before rushing to get the small guy some water.

"You did that on purpose." Fox Box snickers.

"Can you imagine if I had told them yet?" I lower my voice accordingly. "You wanted to kill me."

"Correction." She gave me a dry look. "You wanted to kill me."

"Fine." I huffed. "You wanted to emotionally scar me."

"Oh, grow up."

"Bite me."

"Alright!" Fran approaches, cooking mittens still on. She was almost done with dinner by the smell of things. She gave us a stern look, "You two better not bring your problems on everyone else. Leo, show some respect. Fox Box, control yourself."

We both laughed.

After Snow Drake had revived Whimsun, he made a whole debate of how we were 'evil' and 'couldn't handle good things' and left halfway through his own rant. We were too busy trying to suppress our giggles.

"Do you think he did that on purpose too?" Fox Box asked, tilted her head.

"Maybe." I flipped my controlled onto the floor, "He's kind of fun like that."

"Are you two heading out soon?" Fran asked, setting down breakfast on the table.

"Yup. The Dreemurr's invited us over." I lied. "We're going to go have pie."

For a moment I saw Fran's expression dim. I glanced at Fox Box, hoping for some kind of explanation, but she looked just as interested in Fran's reaction as I did.

 _So Fox Box genuinely doesn't know how Fran will take the news,_ I mused.

Breakfast was quiet, with Fox Box carrying most of the conversation. Afterwards we left with lazy motivation, making our way away from the apartment complex. It was a nice day for once, spotless of clouds and as blue as ever. I didn't like looking at it too long, afraid I might get sucked into it.

"It's this way." Fox Box hummed, pointing down streets with her snout. I followed, my mood dimming at the prospect of what I was about to do.

 _Asriel,_ I thought, _Asriel my brother, Asriel the prince, Asriel who . . ._

There was an unfamiliar feeling bubbling up in my chest. Hate? Betrayal? I didn't know how to feel about Asriel. We had a plan, from the very beginning. He'd take my soul and gather six others, then free the monsters. That never happened. He didn't kill, and we both ended up dead. Or worse.

"What am I going to say to him?" I mutter to myself.

Fox Box tilts her head from my shoulder, "Probably hello?"

I snort dryly, "Then what?"

"Not chase him around and threaten to kill him." She snickers. "That's always a good thing."

We reached the street they lived on without much trouble. I had an idea of what house it was as we approached. It was unmistakably purple, almost a punch of nostalgia with the familiar delta rune on the door. It was three stories at the tallest, with more windows then seemed humanly possible. The garden out front was majestic, with tulips and roses swaying merrily in the breeze. It looked like home.

"This is it." Fox Box said.

"Yeah." I swallowed thickly. "This is it."

The walk up to the door felt familiar. It was the same feeling I had walking up Mt. Ebott. The same feeling I had eating buttercups. The same feeling I had when Sans appeared. I didn't like it. It took three steps up to reach the door, where the welcome mat sat with cute cursive greetings. I raised my hand, and predictably hesitated.

"Hey." I start.

"What?" Fox Box was blinking curiously at my raised fist. "You okay?"

"What if I just pretend I never existed?" I had thought about it previously. "That Chara died, and Leo is the only one here."

Fox Box scowled, "But that didn't happen, and that never will. So man up, will ya? It's just a door."

I laugh weakly. Doors seemed important to everyone now a days. I knocked once with minimal effort, before adding two quick ones on to it. I took a step back, my heart racing in anticipation. There was no sound on the other side and I almost gleefully thought no one was home.

"Oh?" Torial peered out in surprise, the door swinging open noiselessly. "What a surprise! Leo, what brings you here?"

 _Damn,_ I thought staring at her calm smile, _it's almost like I'm not her dead amnesiac kid. God damn._

"Yo!" Fox Box greeted, her tails twitching eagerly. "What's up teach?"

"Fox Box, what a pleasure." Torial's smile widened. "It's certainly nice to see you two. You wouldn't happen to be here for Asriel and Frisk, right?"

"We are." I croaked, desperately finding my voice.

Her smile softened, "Thank you for defending them. Though it may have not been in the best of methods, I appreciate it."

This lady is going to make me cry.

Fox Box seemed to realize this too by my extremely blank poker face and started laughing, "Yeah! Are they around? We were gonna hang out."

Torials smile fell a little, "Ah, it would seem Frisk is out of town, and Asriel is not feeling well."

"Not feeling well?" I parroted. I didn't think monsters got sick.

She rubbed her arm sheepishly, "I suppose you might be able to cheer him up. Please don't be alarmed though. He is still my son."

I raised an eyebrow incredulously. She was acting strange. But she extended the door and gestured for us to come in, expression welcoming. I took a deep breath and walked in. I almost stumbled, the smell of butterscotch cinnamon pie nearly sending me flat on my face. Fox Box was my savior to this mess, and laughed it off.

"Don't be so clumsy!" They cawed.

"Shut up." I muttered halfheartedly, letting Torial lead the way through the house. It was nice, with potted flowers dotting the walls and childish drawings littering the floor. Torial chuckled as I nearly slipped on one that looked eerily like Sans.

"I wasn't expecting company." She said. "Please excuse the mess."

"It's okay." I mumble, fighting to keep up with her tall strides. We take a flight of stairs to the second floor, where a door painted over with a rainbow stood out incredibly against the tan walls. I deadpanned, knowing exactly whose room it was.

"We know the way from here." I told her, trying my hardest to keep the exasperation out of my voice.

Her smile is still there, but I get the sense its pained, "Do call if you need anything, alright? I'm merely downstairs. I'll bring snacks later too."

"Thanks!" Fox Box chirped, always won over by food. I nodded and approached the door, feeling my hands clam up at the prospect of talking to Asriel.

 _Man up,_ I told myself, _he's the most understanding and nice monster there is. What could go wrong?_

I knocked twice, willing myself to move forward, "Asriel! You there? It's me and Fox Box!"

"We've come to raid your house!" Fox Box cackles.

Silence. I raise an eyebrow, knowing Asriel would be tripping over himself in a panic to open the door and answer. Probably even hit a wall since it's me. Nothing.

"Maybe he really is sick." I mutter, crossing my arms.

"No idea." Fox Box tilts her head at the door. "Just open it."

A million bad scenarios go through my head at that, but I shrug and decide that I've probably lived through worse. I open the door.

"Asriel!" I call, stepping inside to find the room pitch black, "Why are you sleeping at noon? We're here to hang out!"

Fox Box flips on the lights with her tails. The minute she does, the most ungodly screech pierces the air. I jump back, nearly getting pelted with a book.

"Get out of here, assholes!" A snarky voice from the closet yells. "Go away and pester someone else! I don't care! Go away!"

". . . Asriel?" I ask, feeling genuine surprise at this mood change.

There was a hoarse cackle, "Wouldn't you like that, huh? Petty little goat boy would just loooove to see your face. No. You've got to deal with me now."

I approach the closet, feeling Fox Box tense up on my shoulder. The room is in disarray, with green sweaters lying around or ripped up. The bed was totaled, the sheets laying halfway across the room in a tangled mess. A motivational cat poster was hanging off the wall, severed in half.

"Asriel?" I tried again, gripping the closet door.

"Go away." The voice begged. "Just go away, Frisk."

My eyes narrow in annoyance, "I'm not Frisk."

There was a beat of surprised silence, "But you-"

I opened the door, hearing a surprised squeak inside. The room was bad, but the closet was absolutely mangled. Clothes hangers were bent out of shape, all piled in a disordered mess. More clothes were strewn about, these once complete shreds of what they were. I blinked, focusing on the oddity in front of me.

A flower, blinking at me with wide eyes.

"C-Chara?" They tremble, leaves shaking, and their expression of surprise morphs into subdued terror. "H-Howdy, partner! It's been awhile!"

"Uh huh." I deadpan, unable to comprehend what's in front of me.

"I've wondered where you've been!" They try for an evil chuckle, but it sounds like a dried out air horn. "I've been so lonely without you, playing doll house with these morons. Are we going to play again?"

"Huh." I chew on this, sliding my gaze over to Fox Box. My expression must have come off as 100% done with the situation, for she burst into giggles. The flower was confused.

"W-What's going on?" They demand. "Why are you here?"

I sit down with a world weary sight, dropping my head into my hands with a groan. "Oh. Oh nothing. Just taking a pleasant stroll to visit. Yeah. Sounds about right."

"What a load of bull!" Fox Box falls off my shoulder, cackling in delight. "Your brother turned into a _flower?_ "

"I'm _Flowey._ Not just any flower." The flower hisses, eyes slitting. "Tramp off you Pokémon rip off."

I throw my head back and sigh. Fox Box nearly goes comatose from laughter. Flowey's expression dims, giving us a look of trepidation.

"Chara, why are you here?" He asks again, "You . . . aren't really Chara are you?"

I slowly blink, "Pleasure to meet you, Flowey. I'm Leo, but I'm also Chara. Hello."

"Oh."

Fox Box revives with strained chuckles, "Just the reunion you were hoping for, right Leo?"

"Buzz off!" Flowey snaps, waving his leaf threateningly at her.

"Yeah." I roll my eyes skyward and pray for help. "What a wonderful reunion."

.

.

" _Howdy! I'm Flowey, Flowey the flower!"_

" _. . ."_

" _Uh, hey, that's a severe expression you have there! You must be new!"_

" _. . ."_

" _. . . Chara?"_

 _A knife gleams ominously in the light of fire_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **1\. Update is update, late is late. Ye.**

 **2\. Flowey is referring to Fox Box's uncanny resemblance to Espeon.**

17nicholasc: **Not...quite the Asriel you were looking for LOL**

TheKursed: **it's coming, don't worry**

Starryskys102: **Glad you decided to hop aboard! All are welcome!**

DarkFoxKit: **Thank! You're very nice haha**


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